Uber driver attack: Egemen Ayyildiz jailed for bashing passenger outside the Royal Saxon
A ride-share driver has brutally bashed a passenger so badly outside a Richmond hotel his victim needed emergency eye surgery after an argument erupted between the two over a request to go to Macca’s.
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An Uber driver savagely bashed his passenger outside a popular Richmond bar after an argument over McDonald’s and a “shit” rating threat, a court has heard.
Egemen Ayyildiz picked his victim up from the Royal Saxon Hotel just after midnight on July 9, 2017.
The trip was cancelled outside the Church St bar because the passenger asked to be driven to McDonald’s but Ayyildiz refused because of his “no food in my car” rule.
Rajiva Obeyesekere explained that he wouldn’t eat the food until he got home but Ayyildiz still refused.
Mr Obeyesekere told Ayyildiz he would give him a “shit” rating then left the car.
An enraged Ayyildiz got out of his car, kicked his victim to the ground and punched him several times in the head.
Mr Obeyesekere tried to get up off the pavement but Ayyildiz kicked him in the head, the County Court was told.
Royal Saxon security pulled the victim away from Ayyildiz who then drove away.
Mr Obeyesekere was taken to Epworth with bruising, swelling, three lacerations to his right cheek and eye, mild concussion and a ripped bottom eye lid.
A plastic surgeon, who performed emergency surgery on him, said the injury may lead to “long term compromise of eye function”.
Mr Obeyesekere, who now suffers psychological issues, reported the attack to police the next day.
He gave investigators his attacker’s name and rego number but police could not locate Ayyildiz until February 2018.
Ayyildiz, 41, was sentenced in the County Court on March 5 to a minimum 12 months’ jail after pleading guilty to intentionally causing injury.
Judge Wendy Wilmoth said Ayyildiz committed a “most serious example” of assault.
“Members of the public are entitled to expect that a driver offering services to the public will behave properly given that such drivers are in a position of trust,” she said.
“Although you had ended the contract with him and he exited the car you did not accept the situation because of a threat of a bad rating.”
Ayyildiz, who came to Australia via Turkey in 2008, is a former Crown Casino chef.
He worked for Uber until October 2019 but now owns a kebab business
Judge Wilmoth took into account Ayyildiz’s early guilty plea, remorse, lack of priors and delay in finalising the matter.
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However, Ayyildiz was placed on a community corrections order after he assaulted his wife in April 2019.
As a result, Judge Wilmoth assessed his prospects of rehabilitation as “guarded”.
Ayyildiz was jailed for a maximum 18 months.