SOURCE: Barrie Examiner, 14/1/12
A Toronto taxi company has hired a Barrie lawyer to represent their cabbie who has been charged along with two other people following a home invasion last month.
Beck Taxi's Kristine Hubbard said the driver was lured into the situation and his driving behaviour was the result of demands made by the two other suspects.
"This is how cab drivers die. When people are in the back seat screaming at him and they've just committed a crime what was he going to do stop at the red light," she said from the company's Toronto office.
"We have got a lawyer for the driver, but the driver still has to go to Barrie to get his prints and photo taken, which is disappointing."
The taxi company has hired Barrie lawyer Gary Pickard to represent the driver.
According to Barrie police, two men hailed a Beck Taxi in Toronto and offered the 53-year-old driver $300 to take them to Barrie where they are accused of entering a home on Sawmill Road in the Timberwalk neighbourhood while pretending to be police officers.
The cabbie was charged with dangerous driving for his role in the evening's events.
"He was reported to have gone through stop signs and red lights and (was) travelling at a high rate of speed," Const. Toni Dufour said. "We also have video footage from inside the cab."
Police were called to the home after a 22-year-old man was handcuffed when the men entered the condominium and stole a safe containing cash and marijuana, Dufour said.
"There is no indication of weapons being used," she said. "They didn't point a gun at anybody, and there's no report of a knife being used in the home invasion."
Police say witness statements corroborate the footage from the taxi's onboard video camera which resulted in charges being laid.
Hubbard said she can't get a straight answer from Barrie police.
"They said that there may have been some witnesses, but when I tried to call them and ask, they won't give me anything," she said. "In the end, this driver will probably be the only victim, and it's very disturbing."
Multiple police services located the taxi near Highway 400 and the Finch Avenue exit where all three occupants were arrested.
A 30-year-old Beeton man and a 34-year-old Toronto man were arrested and charged with impersonating a police officer, robbery, forcible confinement and multiple breaches of probation.
At the time of the robbery, both suspects were out on bail in relation to 48 other criminal offences and are being held pending a bail hearing.
The victim of the home invasion was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and breach of probation after a quantity of cash and illegal drugs were found in the safe.
Because the men approached the driver for a ride, Toronto bylaws state the cabbie would have gotten a ticket and fine had he refused to give the men a ride.
"There was no red flag at all and there was no reason for him not to pick them up. They were of no immediate threat to him, they knew where they were going," Hubbard said. "It wasn't until they were back in his car (after the robbery)."
Hubbard said the cab driver could lose his taxi licence if he is convicted of a criminal driving offence.
"The whole thing is still very upsetting," she said. "He's terrified and he's concerned about his livelihood and he can't believe it.
"I think he's still in shock."
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