A woman was dragged by the hair from a taxi at knife point at a rail station during an attack by a by a four-man "hit team".

The terrifying incident at Dover Priory in October last year was caught on CCTV and shown to a judge at Canterbury Crown Court.

The woman, known as Katie, and a man had jumped into a cab pursued by the gang shouting: "Go, go, go! They are trying to kill us."

Amazingly, taxi driver Arthur Guraj told the terrified couple the rules of the rank meant they had to go to the cab at the front.

A judge heard the unnamed passenger then offered him £10 to take them to the front of the rank.

But before he could do so, one of the attackers stood in front of the vehicle making death threats before Katie was dragged from the cab by her hair.

Thug Keith Moore, 30, who had armed himself with a tile or sharp piece of concrete, had threatened to kill the passengers and the terrified cabbie if he drove away.

He snarled at Katie and her friend: "You are going to be a dead man and a dead woman."

The judge, Recorder Mark Weekes, told attackers Moore and pal Michael Bedford, 28: "The level of violence in this incident was shocking and gratuitous and involved a four man hit team who targeted these two people with at least two potentially lethal weapons.

"The court has its suspicions about what was behind it."

Prosecutor Richard Hutchings said that as Katie was being kicked, one of the four men produced "a huge military knife with a blade of up to 15 inches.

He said that after getting back into the taxi, Katie was pulled out again as her male companion ran away.

She was then kicked while she lay on the floor before the four attackers also ran away along a pathway near the station.

A knife similar to a weapon seen on the footage was later found at Bedford's home in Wood Street, Dover.

Mr Hutchings added: "What we can't say was that it was the knife seen in the CCTV."

Both men pleaded guilty to affray but the court heard that Katie and her friend refused to co-operate with the police investigation.

But cabbie told the judge in a victim impact statement said he was left terrified by the incident and now rarely stops near the station.

The taxi driver added that if he does, he locks his vehicle and waits with other drivers.

Defence barrister James Burke said pub bar worker Bedford now regrets his involvement in the incident.

The father of two was subjected to a two year suspended sentence in 2017 for a previous affray involving a drugs raid at his home.

Oliver Kirk, for Moore, from Liverpool, said: "Of course this is a serious incident and he sticks out like a sore thumb in the video wearing a orange T shirt.

"He also picks up a piece of paving brick but was not the man with the knife or the one who kicked the woman."

Mr Kirk said Moore had community ties in Liverpool where he teaches boxing and football.

At the time of the incident he was staying with his brother in the Dover area.

The judge asked if there was any explanation for the incident and was told: "None which would assist the court."

He then jailed Bedford for 26 months and Moore for 18 months after telling the pair that the "totally innocent" taxi driver was left "absolutely terrified" by the incident.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Osbourne’s depraved actions show him to be a serious threat to young girls and we hope while in prison he receives some form of rehabilitation to minimise the risk he poses once eventually released.

“This has clearly been a terrifying experience for his victim and she has shown great bravery in speaking up.”