Violence against taxi drivers

The scale of violence addressing the problem Gian Bajar Mohammed Arshad

Dorothy Gunnett: Assaulted, Kidnapped, and Robbed

Part-time taxi driver Dorothy Gunnett was assaulted, robbed, and kidnapped early in the morning of 13 October 2007. Her attacker, Arvis Dikis, pleaded guilty to kidnap, robbery, and assault causing grievous bodily harm. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, later reduced to 7 years.

Sequence of Events

Dikis got into Gunnett's taxi at the Market Place rank early in the morning of 13 October. He had ignored the two taxis in front, instead choosing hers. Gunnett drove him to Melton Mowbray and once there, asked for the £39 fare. Dikis dropped his wallet outside the taxi. When Gunnett got out of the cab to help him retrieve it, he attacked her. He forced her into the back seat of the cab and repeatedly hit her in the head with a bottle. Nearby witnesses called the police, but Dikis got in the car and drove off with Gunnett still inside. Dikis stole two mobile phones and her takings from the glove compartment, driving the cab into the Leicestershire countryside.

Dikis abandoned Gunnett and the cab in the Wollaton area of Nottingham. She banged on nearby doors for aid and was taken to Queens Medical Centre. She received six stitches for her head as well as treatment for cuts and bruises. She has since experienced problems with eyesight and hearing and is unable to drive.

Surrender and Sentencing

Five days after the attack, Dikis turned himself in to Grantham Police Station. He'd read about the attack the day after and thought he might be responsible because of the two strange mobile phones in his possession. At the time, he'd just lost his job and had been arguing with his partner. He was also on anti-depressants and drank excessively the day of the attack. He maintains he has no memory of the incident.

In sentencing him to 10 years imprisonment, Judge Michael Heath said, "Taxi drivers have to be protected. There are all too many attacks on taxi drivers. They are in a vulnerable position and the court will do what it can to protect them." Dikis appealed the 10-year term and won a 3-year reduction from the Criminal Appeal Court in London. The three Justices said he deserved considerable credit for turning himself in when he wasn't a suspect and it was unlikely the police would have caught him.

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