A man accused of stealing a taxi after a night out has told a court he only did it because he feared for his life.
Brett Henson, 44, claims he was accosted by a group of men who tried to extort money from him after a night out in Sydney on November 4 in 2022 — leading him to take a taxi, drive through a red light and mount a kerb.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Sydney man explains why he allegedly stole taxi.
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“This was a unique matter that he was acting under duress,” Henson’s lawyer Paul McGirr said on Monday outside court.
“Unfortunately, he became a victim of an assault.”
Henson began arguing with the taxi driver after he allegedly broke a handle off the taxi door.
He told the court he offered to pay to fix the damage.
“He was pursuing me,” Henson said. “Trying to get money out of me.”
Henson told the court a group of five people “were on the side of the taxi driver … trying to get my wallet, my phone”.
“I said: ‘Just call the police’. They responded, ‘we are the police’.
“I was uncertain. I was petrified.”
Henson claimed the group told him they were “the Muslim brotherhood”.
He submitted pictures of bruises on his body he claims prove he was assaulted.
The men involved in the alleged altercation have never been identified.
“Typically, there were no police around the corner at this particular point, and he had to take matters into his own hands,” McGirr said.
Henson claims he drove from the city because he was scared, and dumped the car in Woollahra.
The court heard Henson had been drinking for eight hours before taking off in the taxi.
He said he cannot recall whether he was drunk, while the magistrate said security video clearly shows he was.
Henson will return to court in June.
-With Leonie Ryan
