Lowest of the low: Taxi driver cheated blind woman out of £300 after she asked for help using her cash card to pay for fare
Shafak Hussain, 36, took advantage of regular passenger Jill Holland
He was taking her back to her home in Oldham from hospital
A callous taxi driver stole £300 from a blind woman after she asked him to help get money from a cash machine to pay the fare.
Shafak Hussain, 36, had picked Jill Holland, 52, up from Manchester Royal Infirmary and was taking her back to her home in Oldham when she asked to stop at a cashpoint.
When she asked him to key in £30 Hussain pressed £300 instead – giving Mrs Holland only the money she asked for and pocketing the rest, a court heard.
Lowest of the low: Taxi driver cheated blind woman out of £300 after she asked for help using her cash card to pay for fare
Shafak Hussain, 36, took advantage of regular passenger Jill Holland
He was taking her back to her home in Oldham from hospital
Found guilty by magistrates and given four-month suspended sentence
A callous taxi driver stole £300 from a blind woman after she asked him to help get money from a cash machine to pay the fare.
Shafak Hussain, 36, had picked Jill Holland, 52, up from Manchester Royal Infirmary and was taking her back to her home in Oldham when she asked to stop at a cashpoint.
When she asked him to key in £30 Hussain pressed £300 instead – giving Mrs Holland only the money she asked for and pocketing the rest, a court heard.
A regular of Hussain’s taxi company Motown cars, Mrs Holland even gave him a £4 tip as well as the fare when he eventually dropped her home.
But the next day she became suspicious of what had happened and rang her bank who revealed the £300 withdrawal.
Father-of-two Hussain denied the accusation but was found guilty after a trial at Manchester Magistrates Court last month.
He claimed he had taken the £300 out of the account with Miss Holland’s full knowledge and given it to her.
Dominic Geelan, prosecuting, said: ‘When arrested he was uncooperative and aggressive and accused the police of being racist.’
The court heard that following the offence, on August 5, Hussain had been shunned by colleagues at Motown cars who were disgusted by his actions. He has since had his licence revoked.
District Judge Paul Richardson told Hussain: ‘I am glad to say you will never work again as a taxi driver. Generally such drivers are worthy of the trust put in them – but you are not.
‘This was a very mean offence. She relied on you and you betrayed her.’
Hussain, of Plymouth Street, Oldham, Greater Manchester, was given a four month suspended prison sentence, ordered to carry out 150 hours’ unpaid work and told he must repay the stolen money to Miss Holland.
Peter Etherall, defending, said Hussain continued to maintain his innocence and would be lodging an appeal against conviction and sentence.
After the case Hussain, who was ordered to pay £625 costs, said he had put his house up for sale to fund his appeal.