Taxi driver “wrongly jailed as murder bid getaway driver” sues Police Scotland

A taxi driver is suing Police Scotland over claims he spent 10 months in Barlinnie prison after being wrongly arrested as part of a murder plot.

Scott Troy, 43, was sent by taxi rank bosses to collect four men in the Pollok area of Glasgow in August 2023.

The unsuspecting cabbie had no idea his fare had just attempted a brutal murder involving a machete and a firearm.

Around 12 days later, cops arrived at Scott’s house and arrested him on the suspicion of being an accomplice to the plot as a getaway driver.

Scott - a taxi driver of nearly 10 years - claims his innocence was quickly proven after the taxi boss confirmed Scott was simply asked to respond to a routine booking and would have been oblivious to the sinister plot. 

But officers still arrested the cabbie and he spent nearly a year remanded in Scotland’s toughest prison before prosecutors accepted he was not part of the crime and allowed him to return home.

Scott now has a six-figure legal action in the Court of Session to seek recognition for the psychological harm and the long-term impact to his work and personal life – something he claims justice officials have never apologised for.

He said: “That night I was just doing my usual shift – I had no idea things were going to pan out the way they did.

“It really was the wrong place at the wrong time. 

“When I picked up the four men I didn’t even think anything untoward was going on.

“The first I knew of any wrongdoing was when the police came to my house and cuffed me on the spot. 

“I was completely innocent and I pleaded with the officers but they wouldn’t hear it. 

"There was so much evidence to prove I was innocent - they even checked with my boss at the taxi rank who manages the bookings so the police knew I was just sent there by chance.

“I was wrongly arrested, spent 10 months in Barlinnie and my name was publicly trashed.

“That kind of experience changes you."

Theresa Mutapi, Partner at Digby Brown and specialist in claims against the police, is leading the legal action to help Scott.

She said: “Mr Troy was fulfilling his duty as a taxi driver by responding to a booking and had no way of knowing who his passengers were.

“He should not have been arrested, charged or jailed and basic investigatory steps would have confirmed this.

“Mr Troy deserves to have his name cleared and be compensated for his suffering, and we will continue to support him accordingly as the case progresses.” 

More coverage of this story can be found in The Scottish Sun, STV and Glasgow Times.