Taxi driver knifed a passenger and sped off with his girl,

A Taxi driver pulled a knife on a passenger and slashed his hands when they got into a row after the victim made fun of his Korean-built Hyundai cab. Kevin Hanlon (58) carried out the slash attack after he over-reacted to "banter" from the passenger on a late-night journey in Dublin city centre. He was given an 11-month suspended sentence and fined €1,000 after a judge found him guilty of a weapons charge.

Dublin District Court heard the passenger, JJ O'Riordan, was left bleeding from cuts to both hands after Hanlon went "crazy" and began slashing him with a Stanley knife. Suspending the sentence for a year, Judge Cormac Dunne said it was "unacceptable" for a taxi driver to carry a weapon and said he believed Hanlon was not fit to have a public service vehicle licence.

Hanlon, of Dominick House, Dominick Street Upper, had pleaded not guilty to producing a weapon in the course of a dispute at Nicholas Street on October 17 last. He had denied having any weapon and claimed he had only pushed Mr O'Riordan out of the cab because he feared he was about to be attacked.

There was no assault charge against Hanlon. The court heard Mr O'Riordan had been out with his then-girlfriend, Linda Murray, and friend Scott Fay at Krystle nightclub and Lillie's Bordello before leaving the Westin Hotel at 5.30am. They got in Hanlon's taxi and Mr O'Riordan, a motor dealer from Terenure, began to "banter" with Hanlon and remarking about his Hyundai Sonata -- "who buys these things?" Hanlon got "very annoyed" and Mr O'Riordan said: "I'm sorry, just bring us home."

He then mimicked Hanlon's use of the taxi radio, jokingly motioning his hand towards it and saying "ten-four, breaker breaker" to amuse his friends. Mr O'Riordan said Hanlon stopped the car, went "mental", produced a sharp object which he did not see, and began cutting him with it.

"I could feel my hands being cut over and over again," he said. "While my hands were being slashed, he continually told me to get the hell out of the car. He just missed very, very important veins in my wrists." He jumped out along with Mr Fay and Hanlon sped off through red traffic lights, with Ms Murray still in the back and two of the doors wide open.

Mr O'Riordan tried to chase it on foot then followed in another taxi. They caught up with it at Ms Murray's home in Harold's Cross and he opened the door, pulled up the handbrake and shouted at his girlfriend to get out. In cross-examination, he denied verbally abusing the accused, touching his rear view mirror or radio or "launching an attack" in which he bent his handbrake.

Ms Murray, a primary school teacher, said the accused had been shouting "I want my money, I want my money" when he stopped the cab. She clearly saw Hanlon pulling out a Stanley blade and she grabbed his sleeve and said: "You don't pull a knife on someone. I have your money, I will stay here."

She stayed in the taxi to "defuse" the situation and because she "wanted to protect her boyfriend". When Mr O'Riordan caught up with them again, she got in between the two and told her boyfriend to get out of the car. She was shaking and in shock afterwards.

Hanlon claimed Mr O'Riordan adjusted his rear view mirror, told him his taxi was a "s**t car" and he was a "s**t-head driver". He maintained Mr O'Riordan picked up his radio and he stopped the cab and told him to get out.

He said he pushed Mr O'Riordan out because he was in fear of being attacked. He said he asked Ms Murray if she wanted to get out, then asked her to shut the back door when she said no. Hanlon claimed Mr O'Riordan "dived on top of him" in the second incident and bent the handbrake. Hanlon, a separated father-of-three, had been a taximan for 23 years and had no previous convictions. Recognisances were fixed in the event of appeal.