Taxi passenger repeatedly hit in the head with glass bottle

A young woman was repeatedly hit over the head with a bottle in a violent attack in the back of a taxi in Westminster .

The victim, aged in her 20s, had hailed the black taxi with her family in the West End when two unknown men also got in and asked if they could be dropped around the corner.

The driver declined, saying there were too many passengers and he would lose his licence.

While one of the men got out, the other refused and an argument began with the victim during which her family members were pushed.

As she pulled the man off her relative, he took out a small glass bottle and repeatedly struck the victim over the head until he was dragged off.

The young woman collapsed onto the floor of the taxi and the suspect fled the scene.

The victim was taken to a north London hospital where she required stitches before being discharged later the same day.

The family had been out for the night when they flagged down a taxi outside the Palace Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue at around 2.35am on Sunday March 18.

Detectives from Westminster's Serious Crime Unit are investigating the incident and are keen to speak to the taxi driver.

He is described as an Asian man, aged about 40 to 50 years old and with short dark hair. He was wearing a light blue shirt.

They are also urging any witnesses or anyone who has information following the horrific incident to come forward.

The suspect is described as a white man, aged in his late 20s to early 30s, with short, light brown curly hair.

He was wearing a light blue checked shirt and jeans and spoke with an Irish accent.

Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to call police on 020 7321 8296 or 101, or Tweet @MetCC .

Information can also be reported to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org .

Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.

You can set up your app to see all the latest news and events from your area, plus receive push notifications for breaking news.

Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android .