A MAN who was charged in connection with an incident that left a taxi driver fearing for his life has had his case dismissed.

Billy-Sam Shervell, of Station Road in Minety was charged with racially and religiously-aggravated criminal damage after an incident in a taxi travelling from Reading to Basingstoke on September 19, 2020.

Sikh taxi driver Vaneet Singh had allegedly been racially abused and assaulted, and his taxi damaged. He claimed that a headrest was removed and thrown from the cab.

Shervell, 21, was one of three men charged in connection with the incident, and had his case dismissed by District Judge Timothy Pattinson last week.

He was due to stand trial at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on January 4, having denied the charge in July.

District Judge Pattinson also dismissed the case of co-defendant, Frankie Gregory.

The 20-year-old, of Moat Close, Bramley, Hampshire, faced a charge of racially and religiously-aggravated common assault.

Dean Smith,20, of Paices Hill, Aldermaston, Berkshire, was found not guilty after a trial. He was cleared of four counts of racially and religiously-aggravated assault, as well as a racially and religiously-aggravated public order offence, theft of a phone charger and threatening to commit criminal damage to the vehicle.

Speaking to the The Reading Chronicle in September 2020, Mr Singh, from Tilehurst, said he feared for his life.

He added: "It was a horrible experience.

"When I got home I couldn't sleep all night and was very unwell, I am diabetic and I was having breathing problems so my wife called an ambulance."

Mr Singh added that he felt that he didn’t feel like he could work a night shift again.