Man jailed after ‘viciously battering’ PHV driver knocked out of moving car
A private hire driver who was battered by a drunken and violent passenger was left requiring urgent medical attention after being pushed from the car as it was moving.
The victim, who worked for a private hire operator, had been on shift on Saturday 17 September 2022 on Arnot Hill Drive, Arnold, when he was approached by a man and woman asking to be taken home.
The victim noticed the man, now known as Reuben Commons, was drunk but despite this he agreed to take them and asked for them both to get into the back seats.
Before Commons even got into the car he attempted to open the driver’s door and sit on his lap. After being told to move he then reluctantly got into the front passenger’s seat and immediately became hostile and shouted directions at the driver.
Just after 1.20am things began to turn violent after the driver asked for the fare upfront, causing 25-year-old Commons to call him a ‘tramp’ and repeatedly threaten him with violence.
He then threw a plastic bottle full of water over the driver which hit him on the head causing the victim to try and stop the car.
Commons then began to kick and punch the victim over and over.
During the struggle, Commons pushed the victim out of the car while it was still moving. He then continued to attack the victim on the road, kicking him to the head causing him to lose consciousness.
Leaving the driver unconscious on the road, he then stole the minicab in an attempt to get away but only managed to drive around 50 yards before getting out and letting it crash into a parked car.
Commons appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday 3 February after pleading guilty to wound or inflict grievous bodily harm and aggravated vehicle taking and property damage.
He was jailed for a total of 32 months and also ordered to pay £187 to the victim.
Detective Constable Colin Jones, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was an act of sheer drunken violence out of nowhere against someone who was simply doing his job.
“No-one deserves to be treated like this and viciously battered to the point of losing consciousness.
“Commons’ actions on this night, as shown in the dashcam footage, show his complete disrespect for members of the public and the sheer brutality of his actions against a completely innocent man.
“I hope his sentence will not only bring the victim some comfort but also give Commons some time to reflect on his actions that night and hit home to him that behaving in this way will never be tolerated by any police force.”
