A man was acquitted of assault with intent to rob on Monday after the taxi driver who was stabbed could not identify the defendant as the man who knifed him.

But a Supreme Court judge urged taxi drivers to equip their vehicles with video cameras so they could have a record of all their passengers.

Paul Clarence Williams, of Southampton, denied stabbing Coleman Simons on July 2, 2005. Mr. Simons took the stand on Monday and admitted in his evidence in chief that he was not sure of the identify of the the man who stabbed him.

?I was confused walking up and down the ID parade,? he said. ?A lot of them looked alike. I put my hand on him [the defendant but I wasn?t sure. I was confused for six days after. I was in a lot of pain.?

Under cross examination by defence lawyer Charles Richardson, he further admitted that he was not sure of the man?s identity and that he got the name ?Paul Williams? from Police ? not the taxi dispatch company.

Mr. Simons was stabbed in the arm after he picked up a man on St. Anne?s Road near the junction of Tribe Road No. 3. He said the man sat next to him in the taxi and then shouted: ?Hey you, stop! This is a f**king robbery.? The two men struggled before the would-be robber stabbed Mr. Simons in the arm and then ran from the taxi.

Crown counsel Paula Tyndale said the case rested on identification and that without a positive identification from the complainant it could not continue.

Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves explained to Mr. Simmons why he was directing the jury to deliver a not guilty verdict.

?The case stands or falls on your evidence and it is obvious that you are not sure,? he said. ?It is also obvious that you went through a traumatic experience. It is a dangerous job you taxi drivers have. Maybe for your own protection you should adopt modern technology to videotape the faces and voices of everyone who come into your taxi.

?The whole world is on camera these days and taxi drivers have to get with it. It?s unfortunate, unfair and wrong that this happened to you but I have no choice but to tell this jury to let this man go.?