Thug and pregnant robber in attack on taxi driver over £20 farehttps://www.dudleynews.co.uk/news/16952 ... xi-driver/A DUDLEY man and a pregnant woman robbed a taxi driver after a row over their £20 fare.
Judge Amjad Nawaz told Michael Ward and Marie Pritchard that taxi drivers were in a difficult position because they never knew who was going to get into their cab adding, "They are easy prey."
Ward and Prichard were both on bail at the time for a string of other offences and they rowed with the driver about paying with a £20 note or two £10 notes.
After getting out of the cab, Ward struck the driver before snatching back the money and the victim's mobile phone.
Pritchard, who has since given birth to Ward's child, grabbed the keys to the cab before they both fled from the scene.
Wolverhampton Crown Court was told the pair had been involved in an earlier incident in Tividale where 31-year-old Ward kicked a door at the home of a man he was having "problems with".
Pritchard, also 31, had been drinking heavily and she was brandishing a bottle while Ward carried a blade as he threatened to stab and "cut up" the householder adding: "I'm going to shoot him. I am going to get my grandad's shotgun."
He then smashed the windscreen of a car parked outside the property before slashing a tyre and damaging a wing mirror.
The court heard he then drove to the home of a friend of his mother's where he shattered her car windscreen before smashing windows in the property.
Ward, of Tower Street, Dudley admitted robbery, affray, making a threat to kill, possessing a bladed article and criminal damage. He was jailed for four years, four months.
Pritchard, of no fixed address, admitted robbery, affray and breaching court orders and she was put behind bars for four years.
Sunit Sandhu, defending, said they both regretted their actions towards the victims and stressed Ward had no intention of carrying out the threats of violence.
"He had no access to any firearms," maintained Mr Sandhu as he added: "This was all done after he had consumed far too much alcohol."
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