Parents of injured Brit appeal

PARENTS of Daniel Moore appeared at a press conference in Australia today and pleaded for a taxi driver to come forward.

Daniel, 21, from Marske, still remains in a critical condition in hospital, four days after he was found lying in the road at an intersection in a suburb of Sydney.

At a press conference today, his parents, along with New South Wales Police, appealed for a taxi driver, who may have been the last person to see Daniel before he was injured, to contact police.

Dad Robin Moore said: “Daniel has been living and working in Australia for two years now and he has loved every moment of it.

“We are pleading for the taxi driver to come forward. He may well be the only person who can help us figure out what happened to Daniel.”

Daniel was found by police patrolling Pittwater Road and Collingwood Street, in Manly, a seaside resort close to Sydney, at 3.50am on Sunday.

Daniel's mother Valerie Rutters said her son was fulfilling a life-long dream when he left home to travel around Australia nearly two years ago.

"From being a child he used to say `When I'm 16 will you buy me a ticket to Australia'," she said, visibly emotional.

Mr Moore said Sydney was to be his son's new home after he was recently granted sponsorship to live in Australia.

Detective Inspector Luke Arthurs, crime manager at Manly Local Area Command, said police hadn't ruled anything out and could be dealing with either an assault or an accident.

He confirmed Daniel's friend did not pay the taxi fare but would not speculate further.

"The friend got out of the taxi, but the friend was unsure if Daniel got out at the same time," Det Ins Luke Arthurs said.

"The mate did not pay the fare."

Det Insp Arthurs called on the taxi driver to come forward.

"We just need to speak to the taxi driver and see what, if anything, he knows about this."

He urged anybody who may have seen anything in the area around Pittwater Road and Collingwood Road at around 3.50am (AEST) on Sunday morning to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Daniel's parents will remain in Sydney "as long as it takes" until their son has recovered.