JUST DESERTS


MAN JAILED FOR 11 YEARS FOR KNIFEPOINT TAXI ROBBERY AND ASSAULT ON ELDERLY MAN


A man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for a terrifying knife- point robbery of a taxi driver and a separate assault on an elderly man in St Ives.


Adam McDonnell, 30, received the sentence at Cambridge Crown Court on May 14, along with an extended five-year licence period. The court heard details of a harrowing incident on December 13, when McDonnell attacked a 53- year-old taxi driver parked in London Road, St Ives, just before 7am. McDonnell held a knife to the driver’s throat, demanding money. He then forced the driver into the rear of the taxi, stole his mobile phone and cigarettes, and again threatened him with the knife while demanding more cash. As


the victim raised his hands to protect himself, McDonnell began slashing his hands. The driver told McDonnell there was money in the boot so when McDonnell exited the vehicle to look, the driver locked himself inside. Enraged, McDonnell smashed the car windows


to


regain entry and stole £250. The driver escaped and ran to a nearby house for help. Police later located McDonnell hiding in the


loft of a nearby home, still wearing his blood-splattered clothes. In a separate incident, McDonnell, wearing a balaclava, assaulted an 85-year-old man sitting on a park bench in St Ives. He punched the man in the face and stole his drone. McDonnell was later arrested in the town centre with the stolen drone in his backpack. DC Kieran Wickens stated: “The taxi driver genuinely feared he was going to be stabbed to death in his taxi.”


McDonnell pleaded guilty to


robbery and possession of a knife in a public place. A charge of GBH with intent will lie on file. Police described both victims as having a “terrifying experience” at McDonnell’s hands.


LEEDS MAN JAILED FOR EIGHT MONTHS AFTER THREATENING CABBIE & KICKING POLICE OFFICER


A 21-year-old Leeds man who threatened to


“smash” a taxi


driver’s face and later kicked a police officer has been jailed for eight months. Bobby Smith’s sentence, which was initially deferred in January, was activated at Leeds Crown Court on April 25 after a judge ruled he had not complied with a previous court order. His Honour Simon Batiste detailed the incident, which occurred on November 16 last year in Pontefract, stating that Smith “refused to get out of the taxi” and was “threatening to the driver and threatening to smash his face in.” When police arrived, Smith


24


continued his aggressive behav- iour, threatening to “knock the taxi driver out.”


The situation escalated further when Smith was being transported to the police station. According to Judge Batiste, Smith “made a number of threats of what you were going to the police” and “refused to get out of the police vehicle,” leading to the deploy- ment of PARVA spray. Once in the holding cell, Smith then “kicked a female police officer to her leg.” The court also heard that Smith was already in breach of a suspended sentence order from May of the previous year for dangerous driving, with further


breaches leading to an extension of his unpaid working hours in September. Despite the deferred sentence on January 30, which came with conditions to commit no further offences, attend all probation appointments, and complete unpaid work, Judge Batiste found Smith had failed to fully comply. Mitigating for Smith, Tom Doyle argued that “custody would be catastrophic for him and he will be wasting the prospect of rehabilitation.” However, Judge Batiste was unconvinced, stating: “Despite being warned about failure to comply with the order you have failed.”


JUNE 2025 PHTM


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