Thaindian News

Melbourne, Jan 15 (IANS) A man has been sentenced to three months’ jail for attacking an Indian taxi driver early Friday morning in Australia’s Ballarat city.
Ballarat Magistrate’s Court in Victoria sentenced to the prison term 48-year-old Paul Brogden, who pleaded guilty to charges of making threats to kill, unlawful assault and criminal damage.

Brogden verbally abused and then attacked the 24-year-old driver at a service station shortly before 2 a.m. The taxi driver was not badly hurt in the attack.

ABC Online reported that Magistrate Michelle Hodgson sentenced Brogden to three months’ jail for each charge, to be served concurrently.

He has also been ordered to pay more than $1,500 compensation to the victim.

The taxi driver, who was verbally abused by the passenger, sought refuge at a Ballarat service station. The passenger followed the driver into the service station and allegedly assaulted him, AAP quoted a police spokeswoman as saying.

The taxi was damaged in the incident, she said.

Ballarat Taxi Co-operative chairman Stephen Armstrong said: “It’s just sad that a guy’s out there going about his business, providing a service for the patrons of Ballarat, and has to suffer that kind of verbal abuse and physical abuse just going about the course of his duties.”

Ballarat Indian Association president Khushi Maharaj said media reports of other attacks may be fuelling copycats.

“It may have been because of the media blow-out in Melbourne and other cities that this sort of thing is creeping into Ballarat also,” ABC Online quoted Maharaj as saying.

“I think it’s too much of the media exposure like that sometimes breeds jealousy also and it spreads.”

There have been a string of attacks on Indians in Australia, causing an outcry in India.

Two of the vicious attacks proved fatal. While Ranjodh Singh’s body was found Dec 29, another Indian, Nitin Garg, was fatally stabbed in Melbourne Jan 2. An Indian was set on fire in Melbourne Jan 9 while another Indian was assaulted at Coogee beach in Sydney Jan 11.