VIC:Three charged over attacks on taxi drivers

AAP General News (Australia)
12-31-2011
VIC:Three charged over attacks on taxi drivers

EDS: Reissuing to remove extraneous word in ninth para

By Mariza O'Keefe

MELBOURNE, Dec 30 AAP - Three men have been accused of attacks on taxi drivers, with
one driver bashed and his cab stolen and another threatened with a knife.

Abdirhaman Farah, 29, of Preston has been charged with armed robbery, false imprisonment,
threats to kill, assault with a weapon and assault.

Husni Muse, 22, of Carlton faces charges of robbery, intentionally causing injury,
theft, car theft, criminal damage and obtaining property by deception.

Shafie Hersi, 21, of North Melbourne, faces 16 charges, including robbery and assault.

An out of sessions court hearing before a bail justice on Friday was told that the
three accused bashed a taxi driver and stole his cab and wallet on December 22 after he
picked them up in Lygon Street, Carlton.

They went on to use the 31-year-old taxi driver's credit cards at several convenience
stores to buy cigarettes, drinks and phone cards, Sergeant Troy Andrews told the hearing.

In another incident, one of the men is accused of pulling out a knife on a 30-year-old
taxi driver after he picked the group up in Carlton about 12.30am (AEDT) on Friday.

Farah is accused of telling the taxi driver: "Give me everything or we will kill you."

When the taxi driver tried to get away, Muse is accused of tying his belt around the
taxi driver's neck and dragging him back to the taxi.

Sergeant Andrews said the two taxi drivers were traumatised by the incidents and would
probably never step back into a cab.

He told the court that Farah was arrested at a convenience store in the city on Friday
and on searching him, police found a credit card belonging to one of the taxi drivers
between his buttocks.

The other two accused men were arrested nearby a short time later, he said.

All three men were refused bail and were remanded to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates
Court on Tuesday.

AAP mok/sn/jfm

KEYWORD: LEGAL: TAXI (REISSUING)

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