Yahoo News Mum's fury as Alfie, 11, breaks arm after chased by cabbie
The mother of a boy chased by a cabbie after being in collision with his taxi on a bicycle has told how her son required surgery for a broken arm. Leah Pond says Alfie, aged 11, hit a ditch and came off his bike after the driver chased him along Pound Gardens, in Norton.
He broke his arm and sustained several cuts, scrapes and bruises. She says the taxi had been reversing on ‘the wrong side’ around a corner in Pound Gardens when Alfie collided with the back of the cab.
A witness told StokeonTrentLive the taxi 'was reversing up the hill in a blind spot' caused by a hedge when the collision occurred – although this claim contradicts a police statement which stated the car was stationary.
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Leah, aged 31, said Alfie stopped to apologise to the driver.
But she added: “The driver jumped out and grabbed hold of him. Alfie managed to get himself free and rode off. The taxi driver chased him, which resulted in Alfie hitting a ditch and breaking his arm. He has cuts, scrapes and bruises all over him.”
The taxi driver then got back in his taxi and drove off, according to witnesses and a police statement.
Alfie was taken to hospital and received further treatment at the Royal Stoke University Hospital on Thursday, when he was placed under anaesthetic and had the broken bone readjusted. Leah says he must return to hospital this week, and that she has been told the bones may need to be pinned, requiring further surgery.
She added: “As the taxi driver was chasing him, these adults were shouting ‘leave him alone’. If that taxi driver had caught up to Alfie and got hold of him, what was he going to do to him?”
A witness, who asked to remain anonymous, told StokeonTrentLive: “The taxi was reversing up the hill in a blind spot at the top of the street. You can’t see anything around that corner, because there’s a hedge in the way.
“The lad went into the back of the car, and stopped to apologise. But the taxi driver got out of the car and started chasing him down the street. He was really scared, the little lad.”
Leah added: “He was shouting abuse at Alfie. Being 11 years old, and having a grown adult chasing him, he was scared, so he has shot off.
“Even if he had come back and checked Alfie was alright, that would have been a different matter, but he’s just got into his taxi and left.”
The driver was described as black, of medium height, bald, wearing a black T-shirt, cream shorts and glasses.
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said: “We were called at 6.50pm on Tuesday to reports a taxi driver chased a boy who had collided with the back of his stationary car. The collision happened between 6.35pm and 6.45pm in Pinfold Avenue. The driver drove off after he chased the boy. The boy was taken to hospital with a suspected broken wrist. We’re keen to speak to anyone who saw what happened or those with any CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage from the area at the time.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting 581 of May 7, or by using Live Chat on the force's website. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.
