Violent attack warning
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• Police are urging truck drivers to be on their guard against violent robbery after a driver was left paralysed from the neck down during an overnight stop in Birmingham.
John Lloyd was lured outside his cab by a noise and then battered unconscious by thieves who robbed him of £430 in cash and more than £1,000 worth of cheques.
The attackers are believed to be behind a similar incident in the city last week when another driver was knocked unconscious and robbed.
Detective Inspector Peter Higgins, who is leading the investigation, said: "Drivers parking in the quieter areas of the city should be more mindful of this type of attack. If they have a mobile phone or radio, they should contact the police straight away rather than getting out to investigate any disturbance themselves."
Lloyd, aged 57, was on the brink of hypothermia when he was found five hours after the attack. He is recovering in hospital and may never walk again. "I just want these persons caught. Next time they might kill," Lloyd says.
He is employed by Brookfield Farms, a Lancaster-based dairy products' company which has offered a £500 reward to help catch the attackers.
The second robbery took place two days later within half a mile of the attack on Lloyd in Birmingham.
Derek Shannon was robbed of £220 cash but his load of glass and ceramics was untouched. He is employed by Blackman's International Import of Tottenham, north London. 0 More UK drivers on the Continent are falling victim to thefts from their countrymen, according to international haulier Mike Pickering, of drivers' association UNIT 91.
Hard-pressed owner-operators, who do not budget their trips properly or are left owed money abroad after freight forwarders go out of business, are turning in desperation to stealing from fellow drivers, he says. Credit cards and international permits are the most attractive targets after cash for the truckstop thieves, says Pickering. "The going rate for bent Visa cards is £35," he claims.
Drivers sell the stolen cards or use them for the toll booths on French motorways. Drivers on their first trip often do not realise that their cash advances are not meant to cover motorway tolls.
Owner-operator Rod Larkin from Cranbrook, Kent, is sure a fellow Briton stole his two credit cards and EC permit book.