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Michael Murphy

Private Hire Driver crashes to his death moments after being beaten by thugs

A private hire driver from Telford has died when the car he was driving veered off the road and collided with a tree. Minutes before the collision, PHV driver Ishfaq Hussain was punched and kicked repeatedly following an altercation with two men, John Cox and Brandon Dowen, who chased him in their Peugeot car. A jury at Stafford Crown Court heard that Hussain had stopped to ask directions from Dowen's girlfriend earlier in the night at around 10pm. The jury heard that she had taken the question the wrong way and ended up swearing at him. CCTV footage of the incident showed Hussain drive off immediately following the altercation with the woman. The woman was picked up shortly after by her boyfriend Brandon Dowen and John Cox, telling them that an Asian minicab driver had tried to "chat her up". The defendants seeked to find Mr Hussain and "teach him a lesson" according to a report in the Shropshire Star , and it wasn't long before they were able to pursue him. Hussain now had a passenger in his vehicle. The jury heard that the defendants stopped alongside Hussain. Cox exited the Peugeot and kicked Hussain's red Skoda before pulling off the rear wiper. Prosecuting barrister Mr Robert Price said Mr Hussain then drove off, being pursued by the defendants. The chased reached speeds in excess of 60mph. Mr Hussain decided to pull over to the side of the road. This time Dowen exited his vehicle and began to punch and kick Hussain in the face while he sat behind the wheel of his minicab. Minutes after the attack, Mr Hussain, 50, who worked for private hire firm Telford Go Carz, crashed his vehicle into a tree. He died at the scene from multiple injuries. Dowen and Cox now face charges of manslaughter. Both men deny the charges. The trial continues.

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