Tears from ex-taxi boss
Ex-Taxifast operations manager Dean Ruffles broke down during cross-examination of his successor at the company, David Trace.
Mr Trace had told the civil hearing how he had visited Mr Ruffles' home to change locks following the revelation of an affair between Mr Ruffles' wife Jane and Taxifast chairman John Preece.
Earlier Sharon Smith, marketing communications manager for event management firm Expotel, told the court that Mr Ruffles' voice sounded 'a little bit like' that of an unknown telephone caller who made allegations about Taxifast staff and finances and said the firm's chairman had 'run off' with his wife.
London-based Ms Smith was only able to say the caller had a 'regional accent', and was then asked by Judge Mark Havelock-Allen to listen to the voices of the three defendants.
She discounted those of bespoke tailor John Kingdom and ex-Taxifast employee Phil Manning but referring to Mr Ruffles said: "It sounds slightly like your voice but I can't be sure."
Key Cabs, which trades as Taxifast, is suing the three men for conspiracy to injure and harassment. It alleges they conspired to make calls to Expotel which damaged a major business deal the two firms were working on.
The firm also claims the defendants told Plymouth private hire drivers Taxifast was in financial trouble and published a damaging newsletter containing other allegations.
The three defendants, who are representing themselves at the Chancery Division hearing in Bristol, don't deny they wrote the newsletter but deny circulating it. They deny the other allegations but are also claiming Taxifast's finances are not as healthy as the firm has claimed.
On day two of the four-day trial, the court heard from ex-Taxifast driver Matj Lehocky who said he had tape-recorded a conversation with Mr Ruffles, where a transcript revealed he told Mr Lehocky the firm had financial problems, because, being Czech and not speaking good English at the time, he could then listen to it again and 'understand what was happening'.
He said he only passed it to Taxifast because he had 'concerns'.
Operations manager David Trace told the hearing he has sold 17 black cabs to Taxifast, but it was revealed he was still owed £435,000.
He also revealed, under cross-examination, that Taxifast had sold 16 of these, valued at about £30,000 each.
But he stressed he was 'not upset' at being owed the cash and was pleased to be 'given and opportunity' with an 'exciting company'.
He explained the sales by saying some of the black cab drivers had decided not to transfer over, or left, because they didn't want to enter Taxifast's 'regimented' way of working, and because Plymouth City Council had allocated the firm 20 black cab licences for taxi buses.
Mr Manning accused Taxifast of misleading Expotel with details of its finances, staffing levels and staff experience to secure a lucrative taxi brokerage deal with its Taxibank arm in early 2007.
But Taxifast managing director Simon Hirst denied this and said the phone calls made to Expotel caused a delay in finalising the deal and for Taxibank to miss out on contracts with major Government departments and companies such as Virgin Trains. The defendants put it to him there was no evidence against them, but he stressed: "I believe in my heart that you did it."
Expotel's chief executive officer Ian Burnley confirmed the calls caused a delay in the deal, and his firm would otherwise have 'introduced clients earlier'.
But he said he did not think he had met either Mr Ruffles or Mr Manning on a visit to Taxifast in Plymouth. It is claimed the pair must have known about the Expotel deal before it was finalised. The trial continues.
