Glasgow taxi driver to sue Police Scotland after 10 months in jail

Scott Troy, 43, is taking legal action after being arrested and remanded in custody following a routine taxi booking in the Pollok area of Glasgow in August 2023.

Unbeknownst to him, the four men he collected had just been involved in a violent attempted murder that reportedly involved a machete and a firearm.

Scott Troy spent 10 months in Barlinnie; now he is suing Police Scotland (Image: Supplied)

Scott Troy spent 10 months in Barlinnie; now he is suing Police Scotland (Image: Supplied)

Mr Troy was arrested at his home around 12 days later, with police believing he was a getaway driver in the murder plot.

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."

The long-standing taxi driver says he was wrongly detained despite his employers confirming it was a standard booking and that he would have had no knowledge of his passengers' actions.

Mr Troy spent 10 months on remand in HMP Barlinnie before prosecutors accepted he was not part of the crime.

He is now suing Police Scotland in the Court of Session in a six-figure legal action to seek recognition for psychological harm and the long-term impact on his work and personal life.

Mr Troy said: "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."

Scott Troy spent 10 months in Barlinnie; now he is suing Police Scotland (Image: Supplied)

Scott Troy spent 10 months in Barlinnie; now he is suing Police Scotland (Image: Supplied)

Theresa Mutapi, a partner at Digby Brown who is representing Mr Troy, 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."