Slightly odd this, because while some drivers say incidents like this are life changing, can't sleep at night, can't do the job any more, blah, blah, the only view of the driver reported here is that he was 'annoyed and upset'.
And nothing to suggest here that the driver gave evidence in court, and the judge's remarks at the end lend weight to that, and it's as if he's simply speculating about how the driver would have felt without actually hearing his views.
Of course, it may just be the way it's reported, and maybe I'm reading too much into it (literally), but does seem a slightly odd case. Or at least the report does
Edit: On reading it again, I hadn't noticed initially that there was a guilty plea, so no need for the driver to give evidence, presumably.
But in serious cases like this (which resulted in a near four-year prison sentence), isn't there normally a victim impact statement, or whatever they're called?
Taxi driver robbed by passenger holding a weapon against his neckhttps://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wale ... g-17745386He went back to his girlfriend's house and said: "I just robbed a taxi driver"A taxi driver was robbed by a passenger who held a weapon against his neck.
Jason Rees called Yellow Cabs and ordered a taxi just before 4am on January 2 and asked to be picked up from an address at Heol Frank in Penlan, Swansea.
The taxi was dispatched and when driver Stephen Davies pulled up outside, he saw Rees walking towards his vehicle wearing black clothing, a hooded jumper and a bandana covering his face.
He got into the back of the car and told the driver to go to Brenig Road to "pick up my Mrs".
Mr Davies set off and as he did, Rees slid along the back seat, positioned himself behind the driver's seat, and wrapped both arms around the driver's body.
Mr Davies then felt something sharp pressing into his neck but was unable to say what it was however Swansea Crown Court was told it was clearly a pointed weapon.
Rees, of Jeffreys Court, Penlan, told the driver: "Give me your keys then give me your money."
Mr Davies held the car keys up and handed them to Rees, and gave him his takings of around £100.
Rees got out of the car and ran down an alleyway, and the taxi driver immediately called police, who arrived five minutes later.
He told officers he was "upset and annoyed" by the incident.
The court heard Rees went back to his girlfriend's house, and told her "I robbed a taxi driver."
Police later arrested Rees, who declined to answer any questions upon interview.
Rees appeared via video-link for sentencing having pleaded guilty to robbery.
Tom Scapens, mitigating, said: "The greatest mitigation is that of his guilty plea.
"I can express remorse on behalf of the defendant. He is remorseful for what took place. In his own words 'I screwed up again'.
"He is 33 years old and his, unfortunately, is a story so familiar with the courts. At a young age he became addicted to class A drugs."
Sentencing Rees, Judge Geraint Walters said: "You don't need me to tell you the offence of robbery is a serious offence.
"The facts of this case are that at a time when most decent people are in their beds, just before 4am, you called a taxi to rob the driver. This was a pre-planned event by you.
"You knew what you were intending to do when the taxi arrived.
"This would have shook up the taxi driver considerably. Whatever it is that you held to his neck left a mark to it. It was plainly pointed and sharp. The taxi driver did not know what it was. The taxi driver would not have known if it was a knife or anything else.
"This would have been a quite frightening incident for anybody. He would have had no idea of what he was dealing with or what you were capable of."
Rees was jailed for three years and nine months.
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