Award winning Dublin taxi man attacked with hammer and blade

A Dublin taxi man was left shaken after he was confronted by three thugs carrying weapons on Thursday night.

Paul Cullen, a 52-year-old taxi man from Finglas, picked up the three men in Finglas and brought them a short distance to an area called Poppintree in North Dublin. When he stopped the car, one of the men produced a blade and demanded that he handed over money.

Mr Cullen refused to hand over any cash, despite being in possession of just €100 at the time, and he began to physically struggle with one of them. One of the men slashed him with a knife in the back of the head, while another of the men hit him with what he suspects was a hammer.

Three men had also robbed a taxi man in his 60s earlier in the day.

Paul, who won the title of Best Taxi driver at the98fm Pride of Dublin awards last year, said it was the first time he had ever been attacked while on the job.