A GLASGOW taxi driver badly beaten at work is campaigning for CCTV to be fitted in cabs as standard.

Grandfather Kenny Gillespie was left with horrendous facial injuries, including a fractured cheekbone and scratched eyeballs, when he was attacked by a customer.

The 48-year-old, who has been driving taxis for 20 years, says the assault, which happened last October, has left him considering giving up his job.

The case went to court recently and those on trial were found not guilty.

Kenny believes that if surveillance equipment had been allowed in his cab at the time of the incident it could have helped his case.

In January this year Glasgow City Council gave black cab and private hire car drivers the green light to allow the installation of CCTV.

Now Kenny, a Glasgow Taxis Ltd driver, believes CCTV should be in all cabs to help prevent crime and keep both drivers and customers safe.

He said he had asked customers to leave his cab because they were singing sectarian songs.

He said: "The guys were being abusive so I asked them to leave the vehicle.

"I ended up with a fracture on my cheekbone - also called an orbital blow out."

Kenny's eyes were also scratched and he says his face is still numb in places.

Kenny, who teaches health and safety for the union Unite, emailed Glasgow city councillors with the image of his beaten face at the time.

Soon after the Licensing and Regulatory Committee ruled to allow CCTV in cabs.

Kenny said: "Now I would like to see CCTV being fitted as standard by manufacturers.

"Whether or not you actually activate the system it would be up to you as a driver but I would like to see it installed as a standard feature within our different vehicles.

"Right now it's only when a driver's involved with a serious incident they look at this kind of technology.

"I'm not sure if I want to be a taxi driver any more after what's happened, I don't enjoy it."

As the Evening Times reported in August 2013, taxi operator Eddie Black and driver Nadeem Hussain had campaigned to be given permission to install CCTV in cabs.

Eddie had been ordered by the city council to remove the CCTV system he installed to stop racial abuse of driver Nadeem.

Dad-of-two Nadeem, 41, said: "When Kenny emailed all the councillors it made a difference.

"We were pleased we won the battle to be allowed to install CCTV in our cabs.

"Now it's about getting more drivers on board."

Nadeem said many of the drivers in the city had been abused at work.

He said: "I've got an associate who installed CCTV last week because he was getting anti-English abuse.

"For whatever reason, if you're an ethnic minority, if you're English, or whatever it may be, you experience it.

"It's common."

Eddie, 61, added: "It's a security and safety thing for the passengers too. If you have a camera and everything's recorded."

rachel.loxton@ eveningtimes.co.uk