Two men arrested following violent attack on taxi passenger in Dover
BTP officers raided a home in Dover following a violent attack on two people outside the town’s train station. Michael Bedford, 28, and Keith Moore, 30, were wanted after they were seen pulling open the doors of a taxi and assaulting its passengers in October last year.
Bedford has been jailed for two years and two months. Moore has been jailed for a year and a half. The court heard that the victims, a man and woman, jumped in the rear of the taxi at around 11am and shouted “go!” at the driver. The driver then saw Moore standing in the middle of the road in front of the taxi holding a broken road tile. Moore shouted: “Don’t move that taxi” and threatened to smash the cabs windscreen. Moore, Bedford and two other men then pulled open the vehicles doors and attacked the victims, dragging the woman from the taxi by her hair. One of the attackers also pulled a knife and threatened the woman. The group ran off when a witness called the police. None of the victims suffered serious injuries. Following extensive enquiries, officers carried out early morning raids in January at Bedford’s home in Wood Street, Dover, and Moore’s in the Fincham area of Liverpool.
Bedford was arrested and three knives were seized after a search of his house. The knives have since been forfeited.
Moore was not at the address in Liverpool. He was arrested the following day in Folkestone. Efforts to locate the two other men are ongoing. Bedford and Moore pleaded guilty to affray at Canterbury Crown Court and were sentenced on Wednesday 27 February.
DC Fowler of the British Transport Police said: “This was a senseless and violent attack that terrified the taxi driver and others nearby. It was incredibly fortunate that no one was seriously hurt.
"Thanks to the persistent efforts of our officers and staff we were able to identify Bedford and Moore and bring them before the courts. These dawn raids and subsequent sentences show how seriously we and the courts take violent offences.”
