Taxi thug jailed after holding knife to driver's throatA ROBBER who held a knife to a terrified taxi driver's throat stole his car and smashed it into a wall.
Callum Bates was seen careering around Tonge Moor residential streets in the Toyota Avensis at up to 70mph before writing off the vehicle in Eldon Street, Bolton Crown Court heard.
The hearing was told taxi driver Naeem Iqbal initially thought Bates was joking when he pulled out a kitchen knife and ordered him out of the car on Tonge Moor Road at midday on August 8. Mr Iqbal even tried to take the knife off the drunken passenger.
"But then the defendant put the knife to Mr Iqbal's neck and told him to get out," said Lindsay Thomas, prosecuting. "Mr Iqbal said at this point he felt frightened."
Sentencing Bates to three years in jail, Recorder Andrew Loveridge told him: "Members of the public have to be protected from individuals like you who drink to excess and then place them in serious fear."
Mrs Thomas told the court that a woman named Deborah had requested a Metro Taxis car to go to Marsden House in Bolton just before midday, but when Mr Iqbal arrived Bates got in and asked to be taken to Hall i'th' Wood.
Even though the driver refused his request to sit in the front, Bates, who had a bottle of vodka with him, got in next to him when the car stopped at traffic lights. A short distance later Bates pulled out the knife and drove off in the car with £85 of Mr Iqbal's takings leaving him by the side of the road.
Mrs Thomas said a witness spotted the car speeding down back streets and crashing.
The impact damaged the driver's door and 22-year-old Bates was seen climbing out of the passenger door, clutching the vodka and the cash bag, which he dropped before walking off.
He was arrested just an hour later and found to be more than two and a half times over the drink drive limit.
Mrs Thomas stressed that the robbery has had a "massive impact" on Mr Iqbal, whose car was written off and he could not work for 11 days until a new vehicle was registered. His family also have increased concerns for his safety.
Bates, of Green Way, Hall i'th' Wood, pleaded guilty to robbery, possessing a knife, aggravated vehicle taking and having no licence or insurance.
Colin Buckle, defending, said the offence had been unsophisticated. "He even leaves the money behind when wandering down the street in full view of everyone," said Mr Buckle.
He added that although Bates, whose parents were both drug addicts, had begun offending at the age 12, he had gone for seven years without committing crime.
But an assault while in custody led to a deterioration in his mental health and he began taking drugs and drinking excessively.
Recorder Loveridge, who also banned Bates from holding a driving licence for 18 months, stressed that taxi drivers should be protected.
"People who seek to earn their living from providing services to the public must, in my view, be able to do so free from the threat of violence and fear of attack," said the Recorder.
Metro Taxis boss Nick Astley said he was pleased with the sentence. He said: “When something like this happens it is important that the severity of it is recognised and acted upon and this is a fantastic result. I think three years is a just sentence for the crime and will send a clear message out — hopefully it acts as a deterrent. Drivers do have to put up with a heck of a lot of abuse and the psychological effects of an attack like this can be horrific.”
The robbery is the latest in a number of crimes against taxi drivers in Bolton.
Only last week two youths and a 15-year-old boy were sentenced to detention and rehabilitation orders after robbing two taxi drivers in June.
source:
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/137 ... _s_throat/
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