A man who attacked a taxi driver with a wheel brace has described his sentence as "bulls***" after being jailed for blinding his victim in one eye. Paul Pollard booked a ride to visit his kids but ended up whacking his victim in the head with a wheel brace following a dispute over the fare.
This marked his second attack on a taxi driver, having previously been locked up for 10 years for targeting another during a knifepoint robbery. A judge told him as he was sent back to prison: "It may only have been one blow, but it caused catastrophic injuries. He will permanently bear the after effects of that blow to his head."
Attack details
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday that James Thompson, a taxi driver of 17 years, began his shift at 6am on March 8 this year before collecting Pollard from an address on Longfield Road in Litherland at around 8.30am. The 39-year-old defendant, of Morecambe Street in Anfield, was said to have staggered into the car in a "very drunk" state while slurring his words and carrying a two-litre bottle of pre-mixed margarita cocktail.
Paul Becker, prosecuting, described how Pollard instructed Mr Thompson to take him to Coniston Street in Anfield, thereafter "attempting to make conversation but talking gibberish" before lying down in the back of the taxi. As they neared their destination, the driver then asked for directions but received no response.
Mr Thompson pulled over and attempted to wake Pollard, then walked to his boot and returned, at which stage he shook his passenger and was able to rouse him. But, having been asked to pay the £9.50 fare, he was said to have "mumbled for a while" before confessing that he had no money on him.
Violent confrontation
Pollard was then dragged out of the taxi by Mr Thompson, leading to a "stand off" between the two men before they exchanged punches. Mr Becker added: "The next thing that Mr Thompson remembers is being woken up by paramedics and the police and then being placed on a stretcher and taken to hospital."
"It is not disputed by the prosecution that Mr Thomson hit the defendant with a wheel brace. Thereafter, the defendant took the wheel brace from Mr Thompson and hit him with force to the face."
Pollard subsequently left the scene on foot before discarding of the wheel brace and the coat that he was wearing, later being arrested nearby on Breck Road. Police meanwhile found Mr Thompson lying in the middle of Thirlmere Road while bleeding from his eyes, ears and the back of his head.
Injuries and sentence
Having been rushed to Aintree Hospital, he was found to have suffered a bleed on the brain, as well as fractures to his eye socket, jaw, cheekbone, skull and nose. With his left eyeball having been bulging from its socket, he underwent surgery in order to save his sight later the same morning as a result of suspected "significant bleeding" in this area.
Mr Thompson later underwent another operation on this eye five days later at the Royal Liverpool Hospital before being further transferred to the Walton Centre for surgery to repair the broken bones in his head and his face on March 19. He may still require further reconstructive procedures and has been unable to work since, with consultants now fearing that he is "likely to permanently lose his sight in his left eye".
Pollard has a total of 13 previous convictions for 31 offences. This includes 54 months for robbery in 2009, having been one of three men who stormed a home armed with a hammer and assaulted the occupant before stealing a television. Less than an hour later, Pollard was among a group who knocked at the door of another house and attacked the woman who answered, forcing entry before similarly taking a TV from inside. The victim was then said to have been dragged alongside the vehicle which the gang escaped in for a distance of 100 yards as she attempted to retrieve the stolen goods.
Pollard was also jailed for 10 years and handed an extended licence of four years in 2019, having pulled a knife on the driver of a taxi in which he was a passenger and demanded cash. He then punched this complainant and pulled him out of the car before making continued demands for money at knifepoint.
Alex Langhorn, defending, told the court: "It was not the desire of this defendant to cause harm when he set off. It was only when he was effectively held back with the wheel brace that he says the blow was struck."
"He has an unattractive record. He has had a very difficult life. Mr Pollard has become stuck in a cycle which this system has no real means of dealing with or addressing. There are two sides to Mr Pollard. They are a dichotomy."
"In custody, he makes good use of his time. When the support is there and there is something positive to do, he sets about it with a degree of enthusiasm, which is to be commended. He has obtained any number of qualifications. He looks to make good use of that time to provide himself with some hope for the future."
"He describes how he felt as a burden. He could not really find any employment. He could not provide for his family. He could not provide for his children. He used the time he had to support his father, who had cancer."
"He got into the taxi to see his children and was travelling to see them. This is not an offence the defendant has gone out looking for. He was simply hoping to get to his children, get the money and pay for the taxi."
"He is deeply ashamed and empathetic with Mr Thompson for the injuries. He too has a long standing injury. He has got a metal rod in his leg and is dependant upon pain control. He knows precisely what sort of problems Mr Thompson will have going forwards. That is not what he wanted. That was not what he intended when he found himself in that situation."
Pollard admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent on the day he was due to stand trial. Wearing a light blue Monterrain tracksuit in the dock, he was heard muttering "it's bulls*** this" after being jailed for six years and three months and handed an extended licence period of three years.
Sentencing, Recorder Anna Price said: "When you got near your destination and Mr Thompson needed directions, he tried to talk to you. Because of your drunken state, he could not get much sense from you."
"It seems that Mr Thompson was shaking you, trying to wake you up. There was a conversation about money. Mr Thompson pulled you out of the vehicle. There was some sort of stand off between you, which led to an exchange of punches."
"The next thing that Mr Thompson remembers is being woken up by paramedics and police and being taken to hospital. You accept taking a steering lock from Mr Thompson that had been produced by him. As you tried to walk away from him, you hit him once with force."
"It may only have been one blow, but it caused catastrophic injuries to Mr Thompson. He will permanently bear the after effects of that blow to his head. This offence was committed against someone providing a service to the public. You were under the influence of alcohol at the time, and you were on licence when this offence was committed."
"I accept that you have had a very difficult background. The [pre-sentence] report describes a significant history of trauma, and it is clear that you have used illicit substances as means of coping with emotional distress and chronic physical pain."
"Traumatic incidents, I understand, include being struck with a golf club when you were nine and sustaining serious burns after catching fire. You had a close relationship with your mother, but she sadly died two years ago. You did support your father before being recalled to prison. Your father, I understand, is suffering from cancer."
"It is clear that what you achieve in custody shows you are someone who is able to be productive when the right support is there. I also accept that you are ashamed of the way you behaved, now you are sitting in the dock sober."
