A FOUR Marks taxi driver escaped serious injury when he was attacked by a passenger while his car was in motion.

The driver was helpless as he was beaten about the head and choked with his seat belt, while trying to keep the car on the road.

The attack occurred on the evening of Sunday June 10 after Chris Newland (47), proprietor of Vee Cars Private Hire, was called to the Windmill Inn in Four Marks to collect a group of passengers.

On his arrival at 10-20 pm, he was met by five males who "seemed to be merry but not outlandishly intoxicated". According to Mr Newland three of the men were in their late 40s or early 50s, and the other two were in their early 30s.

Soon after the journey to the Littlehampton area of Sussex started, one of the younger men began asking Mr Newland if he could drive, a request he repeated continuously. Mr Newland replied politely that the man was not insured and he had had too much to drink.

About 25 minutes into the hour-long journey, Mr Newland heard a ripping sound, and looked over his shoulder to find one of the younger men pulling out an interior light.

The taxi driver verbally challenged the man, who swore back and told him to shut up and drive the car.

Newland then commented to one of the older passengers that if the damage did not stop, he would turn the car around. Seconds later, Mr Newland received a blow to the side of the head from the man who had removed the light fitting.

Mr Newland received four more blows from the man, to the back of the head, the ear, the eyebrow and the jaw, all while the car was in motion. His seat belt was also pulled tight around his neck in an attempt to choke him. He also had beer tipped over his head.

At one point, Mr Newland accelerated to well in excess of the speed limit, in a failed attempt to attract the attentions of a police patrol car on the motorway.

The aggressor gave Mr Newland persistent verbal abuse, and continued to systematically damage the car, tearing the roof lining while an accomplice ripped the back cloth panels out of a rear seat.

At no time, according to Mr Newland, did any of the other passengers try to restrain the aggressor. The total damage to the car is thought to be in the region of £2,000. Also, none of the men paid the £70 fare incurred by the journey.

Mr Newland received a perforated ear drum, and a bump to the back of the head, but was otherwise unharmed.

"He punched the back of my head as hard as he could in an attempt to knock me out, which with himself and four friends in the car just shows the mentality of the man.

"The punches didn't really hurt, I was too busy trying to keep the car in a straight line.

"I couldn't do anything about it because I was trying to keep control of the car and I didn't want to stop moving because I thought they might try to hi-jack it."

As a hackney carriage licence holder, Mr Newland is permitted to defend himself, but not to go over the top. "I would've had to render the bloke unconscious to stop him which would've probably lost me my licence.

"It wasn't a very nice experience, but it is nothing compared to the aggravation that I've had since. Apart from the £2,000 damage to my car, which is only eight months old, I'm losing £200 per day in lost earnings.

"The insurance company has provided me with a replacement car which costs me £50 per day, but it is considerably smaller than mine and my entire business is built around my ability to take six passengers and luggage. I have lost out on a number of bookings.

"I have to wait until the men have been prosecuted before I can claim back any insurance money, which could be up to £5,000, and it is having a serious effect on my business. Who'd be a victim?

"I want to dispel local rumours that I was severely beaten and wound up in intensive care. I'm fine but I still want to thank the friends, family and competitors who phoned to check that I was OK.

"I am not deterred from the job in any way, and I hope that justice will be done."

r Sussex police have identified five men they want to speak to in connection with the case, and investigations into the charges of assault, damage and deception and fraud are ongoing.