Man denies slashing driver

Press, 5 March 1980, Page 4

Man denies slashing driver

A taxi driver alleged in the Magistrate’s Court that, after he had taken three men from a massage lounge into Cathedral Square about 3.30 a.m. on New Year’s Day, he was cut in the hand with a knife by a back seat passenger.

Michael Patrick Murray, aged 30, an unemployed seaman (Mr K. N. Hampton) pleaded not guilty to a charge of injuring the taxi driver, Stanley John Loughton, with intent. Mr J. S. Bi-sphan, S.M., adjourned the case to Friday for completion, after the defence case had been part heard.

Detective Sergeant B. Roswell prosecuted. Mr Loughton gave evidence of picking up.three men from the Cavalier massage lounge after 3 a.m. on Janu-

ary 1. He drove them into Cathedral Square to the Doghouse food bar. The two men who were in the front seat alighted and one produced a $lO note to pay for the taxi fare.

He gave the man change and was putting the note away when some coins were tossed into his cab. A hand came over from the backseat with a knife and he was slashed on the index\ finger. The wound later required four stitches.

Mr Lbughton said the passenger in the back, whom he identified as the defendant, then' got out of the cab and the three men stood on the footpath. He sent, a radio message to the taxi base for assistance.

The ' three men .went through Press Lane and into Gloucester Street, .then New

Regent Street. .• ' : f ■; Cross-examined, Mr Loughton said the defendant was bigger than the other two and had a darker jacket. Constable R. A. Pabst eaid in cross-examination that one of the defendant’s companions, Edwin Dunford, had the darker jacket. Constable L. O. J. Miller said he searched the. defendant at the scene and found a pocket knife in a pocket of his jeans. Taken to the police station he declined to make a statement and said the police were making a mistake and he was innocent.

Cross-examined, he said there was no blood on the knife or on the defendant’s clothing. The defendant said in evidence that, at the lounge sorhebody was playing Avith a ! knife And, he wac 'givbri .it

to look aften He had not I used it. ■ 7/■■•■' -•■ j.Y

He said that when the taxi' arrived he got in' the front seat and the two others got' in the back. He did not know the taxi driver was wounded until he alighted from hi? cab. . .'!«

The other two "slmuhi. taneously” got out of the taxi and the driver went Jte| chase them. - J] . The defendant said he followed the others but ■ weip not in a hurry as he kneww had not done anything. l s 1, Cross-examined, he said , • Dunford took off “like a ba( out of hell." He did not think ! to tell the police that it might 7 have been Dunford who used j; the knife. ,W

He said he saw Dunford; throw a knife a\yay in Lane, but did not tell policy at the time. - 7,7 . ; , .7]