Thug who robbed Solihull taxi driver caught by DNA on glove Christopher Harris jailed for six years after grabbing cabbie round throat and threatening him before escaping with just £45 A thug who robbed a taxi driver just two days before Christmas has been jailed for six years after he left a trace of his DNA on a glove.
Christopher Harris escaped with just £45 from the Solihull robbery on December 23 last year.
Birmingham Crown Court heard how the 36-year-old had picked up the cab in Chelmsley Avenue and asked the driver to take him to several supermarkets across Solihull.
But when the driver pulled over in Conway Way, Chelmsley Wood, Harris grabbed him around the throat and threatened him.
Harris escaped with £45 of the driver’s takings, but accidentally left behind a glove as he ran away.
The glove was later analysed and the DNA on it placed him at the scene.
CCTV taken from a nearby newsagent also showed Harris running away and. The image was circulated on police systems and a local officer recognised. Further checks revealed he was already behind bars for a shoplifting offence.
Harris pleaded not guilty throughout the week-long trial but the damning DNA and CCTV evidence sealed his fate.
Detective Constable Tom Finch, from Solihull’s Investigation Team, said: “We are pleased with the sentencing. Harris will be behind bars for a long time and we hope this will bring closure for the victim.
“He subjected the victim to a nasty ordeal. He changed his route several times, which was obviously a stalling tactic as he was just waiting for the perfect time to commit the robbery.
“He will now serve six years for the robbery, which works out to roughly £7.50 for each year he will serve and illustrates the old adage that crime doesn’t pay.
“Harris had no thoughts for anyone else and also implicated his parents by using them as his alibi – which was quickly disproved in court.”
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/th ... xi-7858682
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