BY MARK McKELVEY

Two Omagh-based taxi drivers were the subject of shocking unprovoked attacks last week.

The first occurred last Monday afternoon in a series of bizarre events that saw the taxi driver physically assaulted while driving before the aggressor proceeded to stop traffic on the Ballygawley Road outside of Omagh for ten minutes until his arrest.

The second incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning, when again police were summoned to assist a taxi driver. This time in Omagh's High Street, however it is believed the driver is not pressing charges.

While ferrying passenger towards the Ballgawley area last Monday, Omagh-based taxi driver Desmond Mulholland told the UlsterHerald that one second he was driving along, when suddenly the passenger "flipped," punching him in the face, breaking his glasses then smashing his radio and phone before he managed to pull over. The 66-year-old assailant then proceeded to stand in the middle of the busy road, knock the wing mirror off a van before halting traffic going in both directions for ten minutes until the police arrived and arrested him.

Expounding the harrowing circumstances of this bemusing incident, Desmond said, "I picked him up in the bus depot and we were chatting normally when he suddenly said to me, "I could stop all the cars on this road.' That was just as we were passing the meat factory on the way out of Omagh.

"I didn't reply to that comment, then moments later out of the blue he shouted 'stop,' but he didn't give me time to stop. As I started to slow down he just went for me."

Desmond, who has been driving a taxi for over 27 years, said he has never experienced anything remotely like this. He continued to say that at the time of the assault he was still driving at approximately 40mph and it was just before 5pm on a busy road with oncoming traffic, expressing that it was lucky he managed to pull over to the side of the road without crashing.

"When I managed to stop, he was going mad and got out of the car and started to stop the traffic going in both directions, breaking a wing mirror of a van and kicking it as it tried to drive on. After that no-one moved and I just waited there for about ten minutes until the police arrived and took him away, not giving them any bother," said Desmond.

"I know the man that did this from giving him lifts before and he seemed all right. He didn't seem to have had taken a drink, he just lost it. I am just thankful that he didn't reach for the steering wheel, as if he did I don't think there is anything I could have done to stop him."

A police spokesperson revealed the man in question had already been involved in an incident at the taxi rank by Omagh bus depot, when another taxi was damaged.

The spokesperson said, "A man aged 66 was arrested following incidents in which a taxi driver was assaulted and two taxis were damaged in Omagh on Monday afternoon.

"The first incident happened at the bus depot and the second a short time later at Curr Road. The man was later released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS)."