Driver attacked as thugs wrestle control of cab (From Sutton Guardian)

Croydon and Wallington men in jail after Beddington attack

9:10am Tuesday 15th May 2012 in Your Say By James Pepper

Two men beat a taxi driver unconscious and stole £100 after they wrestled control of his car during a lift home.

Daniel Polley, 24, of Sandhills, Wallington, was jailed for six years at Croydon Crown Court after pleading guilty to robbery.

Polley, along with his accomplice Gavin Brattle, 23, of Derry Road, Croydon, had got into the taxi with three other men on October 1 last year.

The 50-year-old taxi driver was paid £12 by a group of five males he had picked up from Royal Cars, High Street, Croydon, for a journey to Beddington.

While travelling along Croydon Road, near the junction with Hilliers Lane, Beddington, one of the passengers suddenly pulled the car handbrake - causing the vehicle to spin 180 degrees.

The passengers demanded a ‘refund’ and grabbed the driver’s Sat Nav and searched the pockets of the jacket the driver was wearing.

The driver got out but was surrounded and punched and kicked to the ground, causing him to be unconscious for a few seconds and suffering several fractures around the eye socket and bruising.

By the time he came round, the suspects had taken in excess of £100 cash from the centre console and dashboard of the vehicle and run off along Beddington Lane.

On October 4, Polley was arrested at his home address for robbery. Brattle was arrested at his home the following day.

Gavin Matthew Brattle received a sentence of eight-and-a-half years after being found guilty at Croydon Crown Court on April 16.