Man tried to throttle hire driver

A MAN tried to strangle a private hire driver and rob him of his takings.

Ryan Murphy grabbed 61-year-old Malcolm Davidson’s clothing and pulled it tight around his throat, restricting his breathing for several minutes, a court heard.

Livingston Sheriff Court was told that Murphy then ordered his friend to steal all the cash Mr Davidson had earned that night, but the robbery bid failed and Murphy and two other passengers fled empty-handed.

The incident happened as the driver was dropping off the accused and his friends in Belvedere Place, Bathgate, West Lothian, on July 20 last year.

Murphy, 20, from Bathgate, pleaded guilty yesterday to assault and attempted robbery.

Sheriff Martin Edington adjourned the case until June 27 for sentence and remanded Murphy in custody.

He called for social work reports on the accused’s suitability for unpaid work, supervision and electronic tagging.