Life sentence for attacks on minicab drivers in north London
Mark Anthony Brown will serve at least five years in prison for the shocking attacks [Photograph from Metropolitan Police]
A man has been sentenced to life for vicious attacks on minicab drivers in Hackney and Haringey - but could be out in just five years.
Mark Anthony Brown, of St Ann’s Road, Harringay Gardens, went on a brutal crime spree for two weeks in October.
The thug first attacked a cab driver in Amhurst Park on Friday October 3. He threatened the driver with a four-inch knife and punched him in the head.
The quick-thinking cabbie sounded his horn to attract passers-by, but by now Brown was in a frenzy. He continued his attack, punching and even biting the 51-year-old driver before making off with a briefcase.
A day later, Brown went into a cab office in Bethnal Green Road and asked a driver to take him to Woodbury Grove. He told him he had a knife and ordered him to hand over his money. They struggled, and Brown punched the 31-year-old man in the face and stole £130 in cash from him.
The next weekend, a minicab driver took Brown from an address in N17 to Earls Mead Road. Brown paid him with a £50 note – a lure to get him to open his wallet to get change. Brown snatched £40 from his hand and fled.
The next day, Monday October 13, Brown took a cab to Stamford Hill for his final attack. He held a knife against the cab driver’s neck and punched him again and again in the face, breaking his nose. The 54-year-old victim’s face and eye socket were also left badly swollen. Brown made off with £50 in cash and the sat-nav system.
Police hunted down Brown in a foot chase a week later on October 20. He pleaded guilty of four counts of robbery, and was sentenced to life imprisonment at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday January 16. He will spend a minimum of five years in jail.
Detective Constable Matt Mowbray, from Hackney Borough CID, said: “Brown’s actions have had lasting impact on his victims. His repeated attacks left other minicab drivers in the area very fearful for their safety.
“I can only hope that this lengthy sentence serves to reassure the public now that this dangerous man has been removed from the streets.”
source: http://www.london24.com/news/crime/life ... _1_3924001