JUST DESERTS
DUO JAILED AFTER TERRIFYING KNIFEPOINT ROBBERY OF GLOUCESTER TAXI DRIVER
A man and a woman are behind bars after a frightening knifepoint robbery on a taxi driver in Gloucester. Justin Francis, 39, and Tiffany Davis, 36, were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court after targeting their victim when he pulled into Valley Gardens last September. Inside the car, CCTV footage caught Francis aggressively waving a blade before holding it directly to the driver’s throat. Terrified for his life, the driver handed over £70 in cash and scrambled out of the vehicle. He later watched as Francis headed
into a nearby block of flats, while Davis also left the scene. Police eventually tracked the pair down and arrested them. In court, both admitted to the robbery, with Francis also pleading guilty to carrying a knife in public.
Francis has been jailed for four- and-a-half years, while Davis received a four-year sentence. Both are now banned from contacting the victim for the next five years. Detective Sergeant Jon Stokes noted that the driver was "simply carrying out his job" when he was threatened. He added: “Davis was in on the plan and can be seen deliberately pulling down the taxi’s CCTV. "It’s clear neither cared about the impact their actions had on their victim and the public are much safer now both are behind bars.”
CRIME SPREE ENDS IN NINE-YEAR SENTENCE FOR STOKE-ON-TRENT KNIFEMAN WHO ROBBED CABBIE
A 31-year-old man has been jailed after a terrifying afternoon ram- page across Stoke-on-Trent where he robbed a taxi driver, goods from a petrol station, and a shopping centre worker while armed with a blade.
Joshua Woolley was handed an extended sentence of nine years and four months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court after pleading guilty to three robberies and three counts of possessing a knife in public. The chaos began on October 23 when Woolley hopped into a taxi, reached forward to disable the internal camera, and pulled a knife from his waistband. The prosecutor, Bob Sastry, told the court that the driver was so scared he fled the vehicle, later stating in a victim impact report that “he felt trapped inside the car
PHTM MAY 2026
and he was very worried about what was going to happen.” Woolley then chased the taxi driver demanding more money before stealing the taxi. He then drove to an Asda petrol station, where he filled a basket with items and threatened an employee with a knife to force his way out of the locked doors. The spree ended at The Potteries Centre in Hanley, where Woolley targeted a woman at a kiosk. He grabbed two necklaces around her neck with such force that he choked her before the jewellery snapped. While the “necklaces,
worth about £2,000, were recovered in a damaged state,” the judge noted they held significant sentimental value. Defence lawyers argued Woolley was “emotionally unstable” and had a limited memory of the crimes as he had taken large amounts of unprescribed medication. However, Judge Graeme Smith described the robberies as “extremely serious,” noting the lasting psychological damage caused to his victims. Referring to the first attack, he told Woolley: “You threatened a taxi driver with a knife and we have heard of the significant impact it had on him.” Woolley must now serve at least two-thirds of his seven-year and four-month prison term before being considered for release on an extended licence.
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