...JUST DESSERTS JAIL FOR GANG THAT ROBBED SWINDON TAXI DRIVER AT KNIFEPOINT
Three men who robbed a Swindon taxi driver at knifepoint have been jailed for almost 16 years. Sending Jordan Collins, Landen McCarthy and Mitchell Rhodes down at Swindon Crown Court on the morning of Tuesday 1 December, Judge Jason Taylor QC said of the robbery: “It must have been terrifying for the victim.” According to the Swindon Advertiser, the trio robbed an SN1 Cars driver at knifepoint in Broadgreen, on March 1. Audio from a CCTV camera on a nearby house captured the moment Essex man Rhodes, 27, got into the passenger seat behind the driver, placed a blade to his
THIEF WHO BROKE INTO NEWCASTLE CABBIE’S CAR JAILED
A thief who broke into a taxi before running off bare-chested with a stolen wallet has now been jailed. ChronicleLive reports that Newcastle Magistrates heard how Joseph Dunn smashed the window of the taxi parked outside Newcastle Central Station in 2019 and was caught rummaging through the glove box by the driver. Startled, Dunn ran off but was tem- porarily detained by three members of the public. In the ensuing struggle, Dunn managed to wriggle free of his jacket and jumper and ran off bare chested into the city. The driver, whose wallet containing cash and cards were stolen by Dunn, reported the crime to British Transport Police. Specialist forensic officers examined the clothing left behind at the scene and managed to find a DNA match to Dunn. Dunn, 47, pleaded guilty to theft from a motor vehicle. He was sentenced to eight weeks in jail for the offence and ordered to pay £145 compensation to the victim.
JANUARY 2021
face and shouted: “Give me the f***ing money now, give me the money.” Collins acted as look-out down the street and McCarthy stood by the cab door, pre-
venting the driver from escaping. His victim, whose interview with detec- tives was recorded on video and played to the jury, said to police: “I told him just take anything you want. Just take, but don’t hurt me.” Rhodes stole around £40 to £60 from the cab armrest, before fleeing with his two co-defendants. Rhodes, who was found guilty in Octo- ber, was jailed for seven years, one month. McCarthy, 22, of Westcliff-on- Sea, who pleaded guilty, received five years, three months’ imprisonment. Collins, 25, from London, was jailed for three years and seven months.
TYNESIDE THIEF BANNED FROM TAXIS AFTER REPEATEDLY FLEECING CABBIES
A renowned thief who was banned from booking taxi journeys after repeatedly fleecing cabbies was back up to his old tricks. ChronicleLive reports that drug addict Christopher Stuart was jailed and given a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) back in 2019 after conning numerous taxi drivers into handing over cash before making off without paying his fares. The 31-year-old used to play the sym- pathy card by pretending the money was for his children but instead spent it funding his crack cocaine habit. The CBO barred Stuart from booking or travelling in any cabs but, less than a year after his prison release, he flouted the ban on three occasions, twice con- ning drivers out of cash. Stuart, from High Heaton, will now spend Christmas behind bars after he was remanded in custody following a hearing at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of making off without paying for a taxi fare, two counts of theft and three counts of breaching a CBO. He also admitted separate charges of
driving while dis- qualified, driving with no insurance and failing to give the identity of a driver.
Stuart first book- ed a taxi on 15 September before “playing the sympa- thy card” and conning the cabbie out of £20 and not paying the £38.50 fare. He was then caught in another cab on October 22. On November 24, Stuart again fleeced a driver out of £20 before fleeing with- out paying his £8.50 fare. The prosecutor said: “There are 148 offences on the defendant’s record and he has breached his Criminal Behaviour Order which was imposed to stop him travelling in taxis. He’s got a very long history of bilking, often allied with a sob story he tells drivers and they lend him money. However, he parts the taxi and the money goes with him. “The taxi drivers give him money in good faith. It’s a serial and fixed method of offending.”
71
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
