Taxi drivers want protection,
A DRUNKEN member of the Turkish national bodybuilding team attacked a Girne taxi driver who refused to take him as a passenger, breaking his back, a court has heard.
Ceyhun Tokmak’s alleged attack on 51-year-old Şahin Karaçor, in Girne at 4pm last Friday, prompted calls for better protection of the TRNC’s cabbies.
There were angry scenes outside Girne District Court on Tuesday when Tokmak, 39, appeared to face charges of causing grievous bodily harm, being drunk and a nuisance and using foul language. He was remanded in custody for two months pending trial.
Police confirmed that Mr Karaçor’s spine had been fractured in the incident. His condition was not said to be critical.
A huge crowd including fellow taxi drivers, family and friends of Mr Karaçor, shouted abuse and threats at Tokmak, who was in the TRNC as a tourist, as he entered and left the court surrounded by police before being returned to prison. Following his first appearance at the court on Sunday, a spokesman for the taxi drivers, Adem Çakır, read out a statement saying the alleged attack demonstrated how its members were often placed in danger and demanded the “most severe punishment” for Tokmak. Çatalköy Taxi Drivers’ Union chairman Muhammet Ercan echoed his comments on Tuesday, saying union members had gathered outside the court to draw attention to hazards that had become part of their daily working lives. “All governments have so far been indifferent to the problems faced by taxi drivers,” he said.