A DISABLED man has been verbally assaulted by a taxi driver in the car park of Woodley Library.
At around 12.15pm on Thursday, November 23, the victim, a man in his fifties, drove into the car park, off Headley Road, and headed towards the disabled spaces.
The victim wears a prosthetic limb on his right leg following an amputation below the knee.
The man noticed a silver Toyota Prius taxi was blocking the disabled bay he was trying to park in, and the male driver was standing next to his vehicle.
The victim asked the driver if he could move his vehicle as he was blocking the space, but the taxi driver refused, stating that he was waiting to pick up a fare.
The disabled man asked the driver a second time to move his vehicle, at which point the taxi driver began using abusive disablist language towards the victim.
He refused to move his vehicle but soon after a woman arrived and got into the taxi, and the taxi driver then left the car park.
The offender is a described as a man in his early forties, around 5ft 9ins tall with a large build. He had short dark hair and was clean shaved.
He was wearing a blue shirt, dark suit jacket and dark suit trousers. He was also wearing smart black shoes.
Investigating officer, Police Constable Samuel Welsh, based at Loddon Valley police station, said; “We are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed this incident, or been in the area at the time and may have seen a silver Toyota Prius taxi to call police on the non-emergency number 101.
“We are particularly keen to speak to the woman who had booked the taxi, as she may have information which could help our investigation.”
Anyone with any information is urged to call 101, quoting reference number 43170350506.
