Arrest Made Following Assault on Elderly Taxi Driver

An individual has been taken into custody subsequent to an assault on a taxi driver in his 80s, who sustained severe facial injuries. Hukum Dad was assaulted inside his vehicle in Kings Heath, Birmingham, on 23 November. West Midlands Police verified that a 37-year-old man was apprehended on suspicion of assault during the weekend. He has since been granted conditional bail while the inquiry proceeds. A digital fundraising campaign initiated by local taxi drivers for the injured party has accumulated over £2,500. Authorities stated that he was repeatedly struck by a passenger on the High Street around 16:15 GMT. Mr Dad informed the BBC: “My glasses were broke. Blood was coming out.” He expressed his gratitude for the local community members, some of whom were strangers, who had contributed to the fundraising effort on his behalf. Carl Wilson, a fellow taxi driver, spearheaded the appeal. He commented: “A few of the guys encouraged me, said ‘yeah, let’s do it’, so I started it up, a GoFundMe, and it’s just snowballed from there. It’s not a safe industry. It’s a bit safer now it’s more cashless, but you never know who you’re picking up sometimes.” Community activist Naveed Sadiq stated: “Uncle said that he doesn’t need the money, but the gesture would go a long way. So what we’re going to be doing is close to uncle’s heart… children. So a lot of the funds will be, we go 50:50 – we’ll give it to the children’s hospital, as well as children in Palestine.” For updates, follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.