A 55-YEAR-OLD man who threatened to kill a taxi driver – telling her she was “dead meat” – and then tried to pervert the course of justice by contacting her has been remanded in custody.
Kaleem Ullah Ahmed made the threats against the woman on the afternoon of 12 November. Legal adviser Luisa Stuart, prosecuting, told the Magistrate’s Court that the woman saw Ahmed approaching her and got into her car, locking all the doors.
He banged on the car windows with his fists and told the woman: “You are dead meat. You’re a sitting target, aren’t you?”
Ms Stuart said: “She was terrified.”
Advocate Lucy Marks, defending, said Ahmed had made the comments “in the heat of the moment” and added: “They were empty threats. He had no intention of harming the woman in any way.” Ahmed admitted the offences, with Advocate Marks highlighting her client’s guilty pleas and lack of previous convictions.
The Magistrate, Bridget Shaw, refused to grant Ahmed bail before his sentencing, which has been scheduled for 14 January, as she said there was a risk that he would seek to pervert the course of justice by contacting the victim again.
She added: “A custodial sentence is likely.”
