A man claims an irate taxi driver drove off with £300 worth of Christmas presents after they got into a dispute over the fare.
Dominic Brindle, 44, says he called a cab to take him to his partner's home in Staffordshire, having been out Christmas shopping and spending £300 on presents for his loved ones.
However, the dad-of-two says that once he was inside the cab, the driver began to get aggressive.
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Speaking to the Stoke Sentinel, Dominic said: "The taxi driver never asked me for any money or told me how much he wanted.
"He just started telling me a story about how somebody had robbed him and run away the week before.
"I said, 'Mate, I don't want to hear it, I said I will give you the money upfront.' But he started calling me names, got really aggressive, slammed his car into the side of the road, and told me to get out.
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"He still hadn't asked me how much money he wanted so I just got out of the car - and he drove off with all my stuff in the boot.
"I rang the office and said, 'Listen, you've just robbed me.'
"I was told the taxi driver had brought the stuff back to the office and I needed to go and collect it."
Dominic rang the taxi company, which sent out a second vehicle to collect him so he could get his Christmas presents back.
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However, he was still told to pay the original fare of £4.50 before he got his belongings handed back to him.
Dominic added: "I got there and told them I was not happy with what had happened.
"I was told I could not have my stuff unless I paid £4.50.
"I said the taxi driver had not fulfilled the contract so why would I give him any money?
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"In the end I didn't argue about £4.50 to get £300 worth of things back."
And even after the matter was settled Dominic says the taxi driver was still acting aggressively towards him and even attempted to start a fight.
The warehouse worker said: "As I was walking out of the door, he said something to me and I said to him, 'You're a cheeky b*****d , you've just fleeced my money.' He started screaming and shouting at me.
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"I got in the taxi. This guy was fuming, he opened the door, told me to get out, and said we were going to fight.
"I wasn't interested in fighting - that's not why I went to this place."
Dominic went on to say that he wishes he'd called the police at the time, adding: "I wish I had called the police but they talked me out of it. It seems like they can do anything they want and there is no recall."
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