Police investigate PHV driver who ‘deliberately threw a coin' at passenger's chest in set-down row

Police in Stoke-on-Trent are investigating allegations that a Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) driver 'deliberately threw a coin' at an onboard passenger after a heated row.

According to StokeonTrentLive the passenger, 39-year-old Kerry Smith, asked the Intercity driver to pull up outside her home. Smith was travelling with three children, two of them disabled, so required easy access across a busy road.

The driver is said to have then become abusive and threw a £1 coin at the woman’s chest.

Since the incident operators Intercity have investigated the complaint, sacked the driver, and apologised to the victim who is a regular customer.

However, Staffordshire Police have now confirmed they are looking into the incident too. A police spokesperson said: "Police were called to an address following reports of an assault. A man deliberately threw a coin at a woman, hitting her on the chest. The victim, a woman in her 30s, was left shaken but unhurt. The man drove away in a white Skoda Octavia. Inquiries are ongoing."