Taxi Driver Online

On the one hand, fairly typical of the kind of stuff on here, and another example of why not many women drive taxis, and the irony here of the perp being a woman. And the further irony of one of the victims being another woman

And a bit more interesting than the normal stuff like this (and not only because it's in my licensing area, although not much of this kind of stuff up in St Andrews )

Anyway, from a strictly trade perspective, I was a bit annoyed at the first mention of takings

And even more annoyed at the second one

But not difficult from this to work out why she thought she was on to a nice little earner. But not clever enough to work out that she was unlikely to get away with it for long...


Woman who robbed two Fife taxi drivers at knifepoint finally caught trying for third time

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/co ... i-drivers/

Claire Duncan waged a five-week robbery campaign in Fife.

A Fife woman robbed a taxi driver at knifepoint, spent a week on remand and robbed a second cabbie, then tried to rob a third just days later.

Claire Duncan was on seven bail orders when she was finally apprehended.

After her first attack, she told police: “Sometimes you don’t have a choice.”

Duncan appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court via a video link from HMP Polmont, where she has been on remand since May 21.

She could be seen on screen weeping throughout proceedings.

A sheriff told the offender, who has never been jailed before, she is facing a “lengthy” prison sentence.

First strike

Duncan, 31, admitted assaulting and robbing her first target while he was working on April 2 this year.

Prosecutor Sarah Smith said he was despatched to Flutorum Avenue in Thornton and arrived at 12.45am.

Duncan got into the back of the taxi and was asked to pay the £17 fare up-front.

She seized the driver’s neck, pointed a sharp object against it and demanded money.

Duncan injured him and took £170 of his nightly takings, fleeing after telling him “that’s not enough”.

The driver contacted police and took himself to Victoria Hospital.

While being arrested, Duncan told police: “Sometimes you don’t have a choice.”

After appearing in court in private the next day, Duncan was remanded for eight days, before being liberated again on April 11.

Repeat incident

Less than a month later, on May 9, she repeated her crime after again being taxied to Flutorum Avenue.

This time her victim was a female driver, towards whom she lunged and placed a knife against her neck, before demanding cash.

Duncan held up a 12-inch knife and declared: “Give me your money, don’t be a bitch.”

She struggled with the driver, injuring her, and robbed her of a bumbag containing takings of around £300, phone chargers and ID.

The court heard the taxi had been booked from Duncan’s sister’s home in Methil at 11.25pm.

After watching her sister leave, the woman noticed a kitchen knife was missing.

Duncan had run off from the second attack and was not traced until her next strike, three days later.

Third attack

Another taxi driver had given Duncan a lift from the rank at Glenrothes bus station in the early hours of the morning.

At Macduff Road, she demanded: “Give me the money, all of it,” and tried to take a coin purse.

The cabbie attempted to call for help but Duncan pulled the phone from his hand.

She repeatedly struck his head, demanded money, struggled and scratched him on the neck and face but was unsuccessful in her bid to steal his phone and money.

Duncan was soon arrested and told police she had not had medication for her mental health.

Expecting jail

Duncan admitted two charges of robbery and assault to injury and an assault to injury and attempted robbery.

Solicitor David Bell said: “Ms Duncan knows that she’s getting a custodial sentence here and it won’t be a short one.

“They’re very serious charges, she knows that. There’s clearly no motion for bail.”

Sheriff James Williamson deferred sentencing until September 9 for reports to be prepared and continued Duncan’s remand.

The sheriff specifically asked social workers to explore the possibility of post-release supervision.

He said: “These matters are serious. The likelihood is you’ll receive a lengthy custodial sentence.”

Don't like the look of the way that's phrased at all - for a start, apart from even mentioning a figure at all, the way it's phrased makes it sound like that's only a part of the night's takings, and that it's every night


I'd guess most members of the public would construe that as being her takings for the shift

Somehow doubt that - maybe takings over several shifts and/or a float.

And, particularly in the days of card payments, those figures just don't ring true. But for any wannabee thief thinking about making a quick buck...

Both my thread title and the Courier's headline are a bit misleading, since she was actually 'caught' after the first incident

Complete bol****s.

Everyone has a choice.

That thing decided that robbing taxi drivers was a good earner.

Thankfully, she is currently earning SFA, or a few pounds a week for scrubbing the wing.

_________________
IDFIMH

Yes, and let out to do exactly the same f***ing thing again.

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IDFIMH

Slightly different narrative of the incidents here, but the new material is the mainly the brief sentencing stuff at the end...


Woman’s knife point attacks robbed three taxi drivers in six weeks

https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/crime/ ... ks-5310164

A woman who attacked and robbed three different taxi drivers within six weeks, has been jailed for 40 months.

The drivers were assaulted, injured and threatened with knives by Claire Duncan, who then robbed them of their takings.

Duncan, 31, from Glenrothes and currently a prisoner, appeared for sentencing at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court by video-link from jail. She was on five bail orders when she committed the offences.

She admitted that on April 2 at Flutorum Avenue, Thornton, she assaulted a taxi driver by seizing him by the neck, holding a sharp object against his neck to his injury. She also demanded money and robbed him of £170.

On May 9, again at Flutorum Avenue, she assaulted a female taxi driver. She lunged towards her, placed a knife against her neck, demanded money from her and struggled with her, all to her injury. She also robbed the woman of a bag containing cash, phone chargers and an ID card.

Then on May 12 at Macduff Road, Glenrothes, she assaulted another taxi driver. She repeatedly struck him on the head, demanded money from him and struggled with him. She repeatedly scratched him to the neck and face, all to his injury and attempted to rob him of a sum of money and a mobile phone.

Depute fiscal Sarah Smith said the first incident occurred at around 12.25am when Duncan was in a taxi and grabbed the driver around the neck. He felt an object against his neck and Duncan said she had a blade before robbing him of his takings.

The second incident happened after Duncan had booked a taxi from Methil. When it arrived, Duncan pulled out a kitchen knife with a 12-inch blade and told the female cabbie, “Give me the money”.

There was a struggle and the driver was hit on the throat before Duncan stole the takings of almost £300 and ran off.

The third offence took place after Duncan asked the driver to take a de-tour into Glenrothes so that she could pick up her bank card. When the cab reached Macduff Road, Duncan told the driver, “Give me the money. All of it.”

Witnesses heard the driver shouting. “Let me go. She’s robbed me, Help!” He sustained two cuts to his head.

Defence solicitor David Bell said, “She has a lengthy criminal record but these offences are a significant escalation after a descent into serious addiction to crack cocaine.”

He conceded these were “terrible crimes” which resulted from her “desperation for money”.

Sheriff James Williamson commented, “They truly are terrible offences to put people through these traumatic experiences.” He jailed Duncan for 40 months. Duncan is already serving a seven-month jail term imposed in June for a spate of shoplifting offences and punching a store worker at Aldi in Kirkcaldy.

I don't think I'd carry £300 in cash in my cab - however its no excuse

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin