‘Just trying to do his job’: Hobart taxi driver assaulted with stun gun in bizarre trip of terror

A Hobart taxi driver was set upon by a passenger in a series of bizarre and terrifying acts, with a stun gun held to his face and ordered to drink from a vial of liquid. What a judge decided.

Hobart taxi drivers recently rallied at Franklin Square, calling for action given the ongoing violence being directed at cabbies. Picture: Chris Kidd

A man who terrorised a Hobart taxi driver in “a series of bizarre and alarming acts”, ordering him to drink from a vial of unknown liquid while holding a stun gun near his face, has been sentenced.

Matthew Clifford Hingston, 35, pleaded guilty to assault plus several other drugs and weapons offences following the “stupid, belligerent and frightening” terror he unleashed upon a taxi driver “just trying to do his job” on the afternoon of May 21 last year.

While sentencing in the Supreme Court of Tasmania, Acting Justice David Porter said taxi driver Waqas Aslam had picked up Hingston at Kingston for a trip to Glenorchy.

As they drove down the Southern Outlet, Hingston – who was sitting in the front passenger side – retrieved a suitcase with a small baseball bat and black handcuffs and told Mr Aslam, “you don’t know me, I am a dangerous man on this planet”.

He then retrieved a plastic bag containing various pills and said: “I have pills, if you want to work up to seven days straight I can give them to you”.

Hingston swallowed three or four of the pills before showing Mr Aslam a vial of liquid.

Mr Aslam, feeling unsafe, asked Hingston to put the items on the back seat.

When they arrived at the Glenorchy address, another man got in the back seat and gave Hingston some more pills.

The pair then directed Mr Aslam to a second address at Glenorchy, with a third man appearing and giving Hingston an item in a brown sheath.

Part of the terrifying ordeal for Hobart taxi driver Waqas Aslam took place on the Southern Outlet, on a trip from Kingston. Picture: Sam Rosewarne

Mr Aslam was then directed to return to the original Kingston address.

While en-route, Hingston removed a large machete from the sheath and showed it to the other man while saying words to the effect of “party start boy” and how he didn’t want a big population “on this planet”, with the pair erupting into laughter.

On the Brooker Highway near Glebe, Hingston produced a stun gun and held it to Mr Aslam’s face for about four minutes, while it was activated, and tried to force the driver to drink liquid from the vial.

Acting Justice Porter said there was no suggestion force was actually applied, but said it was an assault by a “threatening gesture”.

Mr Aslam drove straight to a police station and got out, with Hingston and the other man detained by police.

A search of Hingston and the taxi uncovered the stun gun, machete, a soft body armour plate, the small baseball bat, five sachets containing methamphetamine, one vial of the opioid hydromorphone, three Suboxone tablets, 48 loose mixed tablets including diazepam, a spray device containing LSD and a glass smoking device.

Acting Justice Porter noted Hingston had a long history of offending, mostly for drug and traffic offences, but also had mental health and substance use problems.

Hingston was sentenced to six months’ jail, dated back to January 9 this year, with the balance suspended.

He will also be subject to an 18-month community correction order, and must take part in an aggression program and undergo treatment for drug dependency.

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