A taxi driver has been found guilty of the manslaughter of a teenage passenger he ran down following an altercation.

Xavier Salmon, 17, was a passenger with 10 friends in a maxi-cab when a rowdy trip to Port Melbourne ended with him being hit by the taxi in the early hours of December 6, 2005.

Crown prosecutor Andrew Tinney told a Victorian Supreme Court jury that after an altercation with some passengers, taxi driver Rajbinder Singh Shahi deliberately drove at Mr Salmon.

Mr Salmon died later that day of head injuries.

After two days of deliberations the jury of eight men and four women found Shahi, of Epping, not guilty of murder.

However, they found the 30-year-old guilty of manslaughter.

Shahi, who pleaded not guilty, showed no emotion as the verdict was announced.

His barrister, David McKenzie, told the jury that at no stage did his client intend to kill or cause serious injury to Mr Salmon.

The taxi driver feared for his safety after witnessing aggressive, abusive and threatening behaviour from his passengers and wanted to leave the area when Mr Salmon came in front of his car, Mr McKenzie said.

Justice Bernard Teague remanded Shahi in custody for a pre-sentence hearing at a date to be fixed.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Taxi-driver-guilty-over-passenger-death/2007/07/10/1183833509656.html