By: ELOISE WALTON
AN ENGLISH man who has legally set up a tourist transport and airport transfer business in the Algarve claims he and three passengers were brutally attacked by a group of Portuguese taxi drivers.
Donald Evans told The Resident that the assault on himself and his passengers, two women and one man, happened at around 8pm on July 10 in Albufeira.
“As we were travelling in my vehicle, a taxi began to follow us in Albufeira. When I reached the Dolphin roundabout, three taxis blocked the road.” Mr. Evans said that he swerved past these but a few metres on another taxi pulled in front of him, causing him to crash his vehicle into one of the taxis. “The driver of the taxi then got out, opened my door and began to assault me with a long wooden stave while others pulled my passengers out of the vehicle.
“When Albufeira GNR arrived, they did not arrest anyone, even when verbal threats were issued against me. The man assaulting me with a wooden stave simply walked away”.
Mr. Evans said he was appalled by the GNR’s attitude: “After being beaten and sustaining injuries, all they did was tell me to drive myself to the hospital.”
No arrests
A GNR spokesman told The Resident: “When the three GNR personnel arrived at the scene there was a great deal of confusion but no arrests were made. This case will very likely go to court as the attackers were identified at the scene, as were several witnesses.”
The GNR felt that the man’s injuries were “not very severe” and he was able to take himself to a local health centre for treatment to minor cuts and bruises.
The next day, the driver and the male passenger who was in the vehicle at the time, were issued with a Notificação de exame médico, a notification for a medical exam by the GNR to be carried out at Albufeira court later that day. But when they arrived at the court, they were told to return the following Wednesday as no one was available to see them.
A spokesperson from Albufeira Court said: “The GNR was mistaken in giving the gentleman that date as medical exams are only carried out on a Wednesday from 1.30pm at Albufeira court.”
Mr. Evans said: “It was an unprovoked attack. The only reason that I can see is that they are jealous of foreigners taking business away from Portuguese taxi drivers.
“They must have thought that I was working illegally perhaps but I have a licence issued by Turismo de Portugal which includes the authorisation to transport tourists in a vehicle.”
This statement was confirmed as a probable reason for the attack by the GNR spokesman.
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