A taxi driver has been cleared on all charges after being accused of stealing David Lammy’s luggage, with the Deputy Prime Minister’s account of events being described as “incoherent”.

Nasim Mimun, 40, was facing up to three years in prison for “fraudulently removing luggage and cash” when he arrived at the Bonneville Criminal Court in France on Monday. However, a judge ruled that there was “zero proof that Mimun intended to keep the goods”.

Mr Mimun told The Telegraph after the verdict: “The court ordered my acquittal… David Lammy, France didn’t believe you!”

Mr Lammy, 53, had embarked on a 370-mile, six-hour trip through the Alps back in April along with his wife, Nicola Green.

The pair were picked up near Bologna, with tempers already flaring along the journey.

Mr Minum alleged Ms Green had “meltdown” in the car: “His wife had a crazy meltdown. It was mental,” he told the court.

“She was sitting at the back behind me, and she tried to open the door on the motorway.

“She was trying to open the door, and I kept telling her two minutes, at which point I had to stop her from trying to open the door by reaching back by opening my window.

“She wanted to get out and sit at the front. She was screaming at me.”

The driver was also concerned that Mr Lammy, who was the Foreign Secretary at the time, was armed after seeing “a holster” on his hip.

The driver claimed the pair left “rubbish all over the place” while the Deputy Prime Minister “was really violent in the car,” claiming the passenger seat was struck twice in “aggression”.

Prosecutors also say Ms Green claimed to see a knife in the car. This was strongly refuted by Mr Minum, and no weapon was ever recovered.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• Over £170k of taxpayer money splurged on ‘boozy’ work trip on French Riviera for senior civil servants
• Donald Trump Jr: ‘Fake news BBC reporters are dishonest and full of s**t’
• Hokey cokey migrant who came back to Britain after being returned to France still in UK, No10 confirms

Mr Minum then alleged the Deputy Prime Minister was acting like a “thug” and that he was “afraid” after Mr Lammy had tried to draw out €1,500 to pay the French driver upon the conclusion of the journey.

He was unable to draw the money out, though, with Mr Lammy then alleged to have exclaimed “f****** French” while snatching the bill out of Mr Minum’s hands in frustration.

The taxi driver said he felt “afraid it would end in a fight”, resulting in him driving away from the incident with Mr Lammy and Ms Green’s luggage in the back of his car – something that, in the heat of the moment, he says he forgot about.

And while the court was told Mr Minum returned the luggage within a day, Mr Lammy claimed that €700 of the €2,700 they had in their luggage had gone missing.

The ordeal left Mr Minum banned from driving, meaning he had no source of income to support his family.

Mr Mimun’s defence lawyer, Guillaume da Palma, said the accusations from Mr Lammy were “incoherent”, adding: “If he had taken the money, he would not have brought back the luggage containing valuables.”

Outside the court, Mr Mimun declared: “This minister is attacking a humble French taxi driver who was simply doing his job.”

Our Standards:
The GB News Editorial Charter