A masked knifeman has been sentenced to five years in prison following a violent attack on a taxi driver in Seaton, Devon. The assailant, Peter Hall, was reportedly desperate for money to buy drugs when the incident took place in January this year. Cabbie David Bowditch had refused to hand over cash to Hall and received a three centimetre deep stab wound under his armpit during the assault. Peter used a wooden-handled folding knife and narrowly missed his victim’s vital organs.
Hall was a local man from nearby Axminster. He admitted robbery and having a knife during his trial at Exeter Crown Court. During sentencing, Judge Geoffrey Mercer, QC, said: “You armed yourself with a knife and went to rob a taxi driver. The knife was produced and you stabbed him under the armpit, causing a wound which could have been much more serious than it was.”
The attack took place next to Mr Bowditch’s parked taxi when he after buying chips on January 28 this year. Hall had been with a friend and the two of them had been hanging around a cashpoint machine during the evening. When the attacker spotted Mr Bowditch going to get chips from a seafront café, he reportedly informed his friend of his intention to commit the attack.
“The knife was produced and you stabbed him under the armpit, causing a wound which could have been much more serious than it was.”
Trying to Hide his Identity
Hall then went to wait beside the empty cab for Mr Bowditch to return. He pulled a scarf over his face to cover it and pulled down his hat to try to disguise his identity from his victim and from surrounding CCTV.
When Mr Bowditch returned to his car and opened the door, Hall demanded that he hand over all his money. Mr Bowditch bravely refused, stating “no chance”, and there was a scuffle as the cabbie fought off his attacker. During the altercation Hall produced the knife and proceeded to stab Mr Bowditch under the arm.
Mr Bowditch was unaware that Hall had a knife and thought he had been punched until he saw blood. He received treatment for the wound, which missed his internal organs by millimetres. After giving a statement to the police, Mr Bowditch said he wanted to get straight back to work.
Drivers Vulnerable to Attacks
Following the incident, Hall fled from the scene, first going to the nearby Royal Clarence flats to dump his disguise and then escaping through a fire escape. He was identified, arrested and the knife used in the attack was found with a bent blade.
This incident again displays how vulnerable taxi drivers are to attack, especially during the evening. Assailants know that they often have substantial amounts of cash from fares, which makes taxi drivers a regular target for robbery.
The use of a weapon escalated this situation to a whole new level and could have resulted in far more serious injury or even death. Once again, a taxi driver has been lucky to escape with their life in a violent and unprovoked attack.