Exclusive:Uber driver attacked by drug dealer outside Sheffield massage parlour
Uber driver suffers hearing loss after drug dealer attack
Dwayshun Smith ordered an Uber in the morning of March 12, 2023.
He was picked up outside Dempseys nightclub in Sheffield city centre around 6am and was set to travel to Woodhouse - but on the way asked to instead be dropped off at Paradise Club, a massage parlour that advertises adult entertainment.
After arriving, he left the car to check if the club was still open, with his phone still inside the vehicle on charge.
“It was at this point the defendant’s behaviour changed and he became more aggressive,” prosecuting barrister David Hewitt told Sheffield Crown Court on Friday (April 24).
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Smith returned to the vehicle, and began accusing the driver of stealing his money, the court was told.
Mr Hewitt explained how Smith was ‘shouting’ and ‘swearing’ at the driver, who moved his car into an area covered by CCTV.
At this point, Smith pulled the driver out of the vehicle, and began demanding to check his pockets.
“The defendant proceeded to push [the victim] to the floor and in doing so threw multiple punches,” Mr Hewitt added.
Subsequently, he pushed the victim against the bonnet of his car and continued the assault, the court was told.
Mr Hewitt said that the assault was committed while Smith was on bail, after being caught in possession of cannabis and cocaine in December 2022 - for which he also fell for sentencing.
The court was told that on December 18, police officers were made aware of a business card offering drug deals.
They organised a deal and met with a car on Eldon Street, in Sheffield city centre, where they found Smith sat in the passenger seat.
The court was told that Smith attempted to flee but was caught, and searches in custody discovered he was carrying cannabis resin, 13 bags of a ‘crystal like’ substance - later tested to be cocaine - and cash.
After the assault he was released on bail again, and only a few days later - on March 19 - was arrested and found to be carrying drugs after an altercation on Carver Street.
Police subsequently searched his address where they discovered drug paraphernalia, including scales, a grinder, a notebook and a burner phone.
In a statement read out in court by Mr Hewitt, the victim of the assault said he was taken to Northern General hospital with a number of injuries, including lacerations to the ear, and has not been the same since.
“I’m not having the same type of life I was prior to being assaulted,” the statement added.
“I don’t deserve to be assaulted by anyone or left with permanent or debilitating health issues.”
The court was told the victim has lost hearing in his left ear in the years since the assault, had multiple incidents of struggling to breathe - including one that saw him taken to hospital for five days - and was given three months’ sick leave from work due to these health issues.
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Smith is already serving a prison sentence for dangerous driving, after appearing at Derby Crown Court in December 2025, his legal representative Austin Newman explained in court.
The defence barrister said that during his time in custody, Smith has worked on improving himself, becoming completely abstinent from drugs and taking on multiple courses - including completing his level one in maths and English.
“He is anxious for me to say to the court he very much regrets the drug offences and indeed the assault of the taxi driver,” Mr Newman continued.
He was jailed for a total of five years and four months.