Taxi Driver Online

Even before the point the screwdriver was produced, the narrative below has drugs written all over it

Certainly a stiff enough sentence, though. But I'm surprised the sheriff didn't make a plea for Uber, because you can't rob an Uber driver of cash


Aberdeen man who robbed taxi driver with screwdriver jailed for ‘disgraceful crime’

Steven Gribble, 26, handed himself into police three days after the robbery, telling officers: “It was a stupid, stupid mistake."


Image: Archive.is/DC Thomson/Facebook

A man who robbed a taxi driver with a screwdriver has been jailed for more than two years.

Steven Gribble, 26, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted holding the screwdriver to the man’s neck and robbing him of around £50 in cash.

Gribble, who has a record of previous convictions, demanded the money after requesting the taxi driver take him to an ATM where he discovered his bank account was empty.

It was stated that Gribble handed himself into police days later, where he claimed the recent death of a family member had caused him to “lose his head” and commit the “disgraceful” offence.

Accused demanded money

Fiscal depute Emma Petersen told the court that the taxi driver began his shift at 4.15pm on February 19 last year, with him completing a number of fares before getting pick-up request from an address in Smithfield Court, Aberdeen.

As he arrived, Gribble and another man entered the taxi with both of them sitting in the rear. They requested to be taken to an ATM on Rosehill Drive.

Arriving at the destination, Gribble exited and used the ATM and returned to the taxi.

Shortly after he returned, the taxi driver saw Gribble intimate to the other passenger that ‘the money wasn’t in’.

Gribble then requested to be taken to Dominies Road, which was nearby, because someone was meeting him there with money.

When the taxi came to a stop on Dominies Road, the driver heard Gribble and the other passenger whispering to each other and became wary of their intentions.

Robber handed himself in

Gribble then produced a screwdriver and held it menacingly towards the taxi driver’s neck while demanding money.

As this was going on, the other passenger also informed the driver that: “I’ve got something at your back as well.”

The driver then felt an object prod into the lower right side of his back but was unable to see what it was.

Gribble continued to make demands for cash and the driver handed over around £50 in cash.

The pair then warned him not to contact the police before exiting the taxi and running off across North Anderson Drive.

On February 22, Gribble walked into Kittybrewster Police Station to hand himself in.

He was cautioned and arrested on suspicion of assault and robbery, to which Gribble replied: “It was a stupid, stupid mistake. That’s how I’ve come down to deal with it like a man.

“I want to be punished for this, I shouldn’t have done it. I’ve lost my head since I lost my auntie and I’m struggling to process it.”

In the dock, Gribble pleaded guilty to one charge of assault and robbery with a weapon.

‘Absolutely disgraceful’

Defence solicitor Neil McRobert told the court that in the period building up to this offence his client had been “using illicit drugs”.

“On this date he was trying to source more drugs to consume, there was no plan in advance to commit this offence,” the solicitor said.

He added: “Mr Gribble had gone to the bank to withdraw money and anticipated the money would be there, but it wasn’t.

“It was at that point he made the decision to commit this offence – which was absolutely disgraceful.”

Sheriff Graham Buchanan described Gribble’s actions as a “disgraceful crime” on a taxi driver who was “simply carrying out his duties”.

“I think it’s fair to say the court needs to make it clear that people such as the complainer in this case would be provided with the protection of the court in the sense that if people like you commit serious crimes like this there will be serious consequences,” the sheriff said.

“It seems to me in this case that a deterrent sentence is required, and I’ve reached the conclusion without any difficulty whatsoever that a prison sentence is inevitable in this case.”

Sheriff Buchanan jailed Gribble, of Smithfield Drive, Aberdeen, for two years and eight months.

Sh
Robbery is an incredibly serious offence. The idiot could have got much longer.

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IDFIMH

We now know who the second man was.

Teenager armed robber who targeted Aberdeen taxi drivers locked up

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... -aberdeen/



A teenage armed robber who targeted Aberdeen taxi drivers has been jailed for more than two years.

Drug-fuelled Ellis Gardiner pressed a knife into the face of one driver, drawing blood, and robbed another of £50 after brandishing a screwdriver at him.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told the 19-year-old even victimised his own mum, stealing £80 from her when he was in a drug-addled frenzy.

Fiscal depute Emma Petersen told the court that at around 2.30am on August 4 last year, the taxi driver picked Gardiner up from Cruden Crescent, Aberdeen.

The teenager sat in the backseat and asked to be taken to Mastrick.

Once there, Gardiner got no reply at the front door of the address and returned to the taxi and requested to be taken to various streets, including North Anderson Drive.

Pressed knife against driver’s face

Ms Petersen said: “As soon as the taxi came to a stop, the accused launched himself towards the complainer, seizing him by the arms and pushing him in to the seat.

“The complainer felt blood running down his chin and noticed that the accused had a knife pressed against his face.”

Gardiner then began shouting demands at the taxi driver, requesting that he hand over his mobile phone and wallet.

He also demanded the car keys, but the driver refused so Gardiner grabbed his wallet and ran from the taxi.

The driver managed to flag down a police car and reported the incident.

He suffered superficial injuries to his chin and hand that did not require medical attention.

The fiscal depute then described the crime involving Gardiner’s mother.

She said the teenager stole his mum’s mobile phone and demanded that she hand over £80 in cash in order to get it back, which she did.

Second taxi driver robbery

A second taxi driver was targeted by Gardiner, this this time with an accomplice.

Gardiner and Steven Gribble – who was jailed for the crime earlier this year – robbed the man with a screwdriver on February 19 2024.

The court heard Gribble demanded £50 after getting the taxi driver to take him to an ATM, where he discovered his bank account was empty.

Gribble held a screwdriver while Gardiner stated: “I’ve got something at your back as well.”

Describing it as a “disgraceful crime”, Sheriff Graham Buchanan jailed Gribble for two years and eight months when he appeared during a separate hearing in January this year.

In the dock, Gardiner pleaded guilty to three counts of assault and robbery.

Accused ‘motivated to change life’

Defence solicitor Laura Gracie told the court that her client had been suffering from drug addiction issues at the time of these offences and had “gone completely off the rails”.

She said that on the occasion when he robbed the taxi driver at knifepoint he had smoked crack cocaine.

“He knows that the impact on both taxi drivers will have been serious,” Ms Gracie said, adding: “Mr Gardiner does not try to excuse his behaviour, he just wanted to explain why it happened.”

Ms Gracie said Gardiner was now off drugs and “motivated to change his life”.

But Sheriff William Summers told Gardiner that he had carried out “three serious offences, two of which involved attacks on vulnerable taxi drivers”.

“The notion that these offences could be dealt with by anything other than a custodial sentence is patently absurd,” he said.

Sheriff Summers jailed Gardiner, of Stewart Terrace, Aberdeen, for a total of 30 months.

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IDFIMH