REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Wednesday, July 31, 2013

BRIAN Tekbiyik’s lucky escape has become a nightmare.

Seven weeks after a bikie allegedly fired two shots from a sawn-off shotgun in the back seat of his taxi, the Oxenford father-of-three faced financial ruin as he battles demons caused by the terrifying incident. Battling insomnia and fearful of driving, Mr Tekbiyik had barely worked since the alleged attack and his wife has been forced to quit her job to care for him.

Their only income comes from 25-year-old son Tekin, who was driving cabs to support the family.

Making matters worse, the veteran cabbie did not receive a workers’ compensation payout as WorkCover Queensland did not cover taxi drivers because they were considered self-employed.

‘‘Our credit card is full,’’ Mr Tekbiyik said beside a coffee table loaded with bills. ‘‘It’s hard to pay the mortgage. Last month

I used a personal loan to pay the home loan . . . for seven weeks my income has been zero.

‘‘I tried to do a shift three weeks ago but it was no good. The first job was from Surfers Paradise late at night. They were young people and I was very scared.

‘‘I have a psychological problem. I’ve tried fixing it and having a normal life, but there are too many things running through my mind.’’

Mr Tekbiyik was driving two men through Southport about 2.15am on June 11 when a Bandidos member was alleged to have fired two shots inside the taxi, with pellets skimming the cabbie’s head.

Police said the 25-year-old alleged gunman fled the taxi and allegedly assaulted a milk truck driver.