For what it's worth, the headline here is from the Daily Record's rehash, but the main article is from the Echo's original. (Don't ask, but they're both part of the same publishing group, and often share articles like this...)
But apart from the cheek-biting, nothing here really that we haven't read often enough before
Ex-gang member bit taxi driver's face in violent robbery down dead-end lanehttps://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-w ... i-34722536Violent Vincent O'Connor has 47 previous convictions for 95 offences.https://i2-prod.liverpoolecho.co.uk/art ... TWZk2t.jpgImage: Merseyside Police/Liverpool EchoA dangerous robber directed an unsuspecting taxi driver down a dead-end near Anfield Stadium before choking him and stealing his day's wages. Vincent O'Connor paid veteran driver Kenneth Green £70 to drive him from Eccles in Greater Manchester to Kirkdale, but as they approached their destination, O'Connor grabbed the other man from behind and violently twisted his neck.
The incident happened on November 2 last year, just one month after O'Connor was released from prison following another robbery in 2021, when he threatened a woman with an angle-grinder while stealing bicycles in London.
After stealing a wallet containing £140 from Mr Green, O'Connor spent his ill-gotten gains at the pub. He was arrested at his home on Longbridge Walk, Kirkdale, the following day, when he told police: "It's another charge. I did it. I robbed the fella. Please don't take my clothes."
He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, February 20, pleading guilty to robbery. Prosecutor Katie Appleton said the 37-year-old had attempted to haggle his victim down from £70 to £65 when he picked him up from the Dutton Arms in Eccles, but Mr Green said the fare was a firm £70 and had to be paid up-front.
While driving near Anfield Stadium, O'Connor, a former gang member, pointed Mr Green down a dead-end road, where he attacked him. Mr Green handed over an empty wallet, to which O'Connor remarked "Do you think I'm wet?" and bit him on the left cheek.
Mr Green then handed over another wallet containing £140. O'Connor demanded more money and the keys to the taxi, but Mr Green pleaded with him and he left the vehicle, pocketing the cash and disposing of the wallet in a bin.
Ms Appleton said: "The victim said he has been a taxi driver for 34 years and has never experienced something so violent in all that time. He says the incident has left him frightened; he had taken a week off work and didn't know whether he would return to work. He says: 'This incident has changed me. I don't feel safe to work any more."
O'Connor, who has 47 previous convictions for 95 offences, refused to appear in court to hear his sentence. Des Lennon, defending, said: "At 37 he has led a life which has had issues in terms of dependence on drugs and alcohol. His associations with gangs when he was younger have led to consequences for him and also for his mother and father.
"He does have issued with alcohol use, drug use, and he has issues as well with his mental health. He has been diagnosed with PTSD and ADHD, he's being medicated and he's seeing a psychiatrist. He's in isolation at HMP Liverpool due to gang associations and threats made to him. He's finding that troubling and difficult."
He read out a letter of apology on O'Connor's behalf, which read: "I would like to say I'm really sorry to the person I done this to. There was no need and I'm so sorry. I have been in a dark place. I was trying to fix things in my head but I turned to drink."
Sentencing, judge David Swinnerton said: "He was released on September 26 2024 and by November 2 2024, not much more than a month later, he committed the robbery for which I must sentence him. The victim was a taxi driver, Kenneth Green. The defendant got into his taxi.
"He had been drinking heavily that day. He had been drinking heavily on previous days, and the probation service noted although he started off well for a very short period, already his behaviour was starting to deteriorate badly, mainly due to his excessive drinking. That had caused him to behave aggressively. That culminated in this offence."
He added: "This now is the second robbery within a very short space of time. A high level of physical force was used in the most recent robbery. The pre-sentence report concludes that the defendant is someone who poses a high risk of serious harm to the public, and a high risk of committing further offences. It's clear - one only has to look at his criminal record and the fact he has committed robbery very soon after his release."
He sentenced O'Connor to four years and eight months in prison, with an extended licence of five years due to the danger he poses to the public and the risk of re-offending.
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