Whisky driver is held as hostage
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• An owner-driver was tied up in his cab for eight hours, while two hijackers stole his £140,000 load of whisky.
Michael Paxton was set upon while he was sleeping in his Mercedes 1735, parked at Newport Pagnell service station on the Ml. The attackers smashed his cab's side window and forced him to lie face down as they drove to Farthing Grove Services on the M2 in Kent, unhitching the load on the way.
Paxton, who was covered by a blanket for most of the ordeal, managed to free himself from the wire binding when the robbers fled. He was unharmed but was forced off the road for a week, while his unit underwent more than £8,000 worth of repairs. The electronic gearbox was destroyed by one of the hijackers, who had to ask Paxton how it worked. The curtainsider has since been found.
Police working on the case have recommended that hauliers avoid using curtainsiders to carry high-value goods.