Two Australians, who were arrested for attacking an Indian taxi driver in Victoria, have been remanded to custody till January 29 on charges of robbery and assault-related crimes.
Geelong Magistrates' Court rejected the bail plea of one of the accused Andrew Madden (24) and remanded him and another co-accused Robert Harvey (25) to custody till January 29, according to a local newspaper.
Harvey and Madden, both of Norlane, hired the taxi and allegedly set upon the 23-year-old driver in Geelong city at the intersection of Sparks Rd and the Princes Highway. The driver suffered bruising and swelling to the face and head.
After Madden was denied bail, his girlfriend created a scene and called police "liars" as she scrambled to make contact with him as he was led from the dock. Magistrate Ian Von Einem cautioned her as she was ushered from the court.
Harvey did not apply for bail, while Madden, who denied his involvement, sought bail via his lawyer Bill Sizeland. A mention hearing would be held on January 29.
Corio CIU detective senior constable Ben Melis said the taxi driver was "clearly terrified and horrified by the incident," which occurred when he responded to a call-out to a Plume St address in Norlane last week.
The incident was the fourth such attack on Indian cabbies in three days, and came after two such instances in the Victorian city of Ballart, and another such case in which a quick sentence of three months was administered to a man for abusing and assaulting an Indian taxi driver.
