Taxi driver's bravery was key to guilty verdict of murderer says top Judge

(Image: Daniel Quinn and Parminder Sanghera)

A taxi driver in Northampton has been praised for his heroic bravery by a top judge after his efforts helped convict Daniel Quinn, 28, for the murder of 34-year-old Daniel Fitzjohn.

Fitzjohn was hunted down by drug dealer Quinn, and stabbed twice in the abdomen in a 'senseless killing' last June.

Daniel Quinn, 28, from Wolverhampton, was jailed for a minimum of 27 years this week for the murder of 34-year-old Daniel Fitzjohn.

Quinn was then driven from the scene by accomplice, Parminder Sanghera, 25, who was convicted on manslaughter and jailed for 10 and a half years. The bravery of the taxi driver was highlighted in court after he made the decision to pursue Quinn through Kingsley to capture the brutal crime on his vehicle's dashcam.

The heroic taxi driver has now been recommended for a Northamptonshire High Sheriff Award and with it a £1,000 reward by his Honour Judge Rupert Mayo

Judge Mayo said: "In all my years I've never conducted a case where a member of the public has been so brave to do what he did. "[This driver] played an important part in the finding of these two men and proving what they have done."

Taxipoint originally reported that Northampton Crown Court heard how the taxi driver drove Mr Fitzjohn and his friends around the evening of the murder and witnessed every step of the alleged attack and fought to film the attackers as they attempted to flee the scene.

The Northampton Chronicle and Echo reported that on the evening of the murder, the driver told the jury how when Quinn and Sanghera arrived on Brookfield Road that evening - armed with a machete and a knife - Mr Fitzjohn and his friends scattered and ran away. The pair charged after them and a foot chase began.

But the taxi driver sped after the pair and captured nearly ever step of the attack. He even called 999 while he drove to alert the police. The 999 call was played in court. The operator told him as he drove: "You're brave following them." He replied: "I do this all the time. I'm shaking a little bit though."

Thanks to his efforts, he captured the moment Quinn lunged forward and fatally stabbed Mr Fitzjohn in Randall Road. The clip proved crucial to prosecuting the drug dealer.

Prosecutor Mary Loram QC agreed that, if not for the taxi driver, 'this case may not be here today'.