Taxi Driver Online

Nothing about the perp's background here, but this strikes me as a very stiff sentence. Quite sure there's worse than this happens which isn't even reported to police


Monkton man threatened and tried to rob taxi driver

https://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news ... xi-driver/


Image: Western Telegraph

A MAN who tried to rob a taxi driver of the fare he had just paid him has been jailed today (Friday).

Jack Whitbread, aged 28, threatened to kill Hafiz Farooq who was now worried about continuing to drive taxis.

Whitbread, of Castle Quarry, Monkton admitted attempted robbery and was jailed for two years and four months.

Brian Simpson, prosecuting, told Swansea crown court how Whitbread took a taxi from Castle Square, Haverfordwest, at 3.40am on May 6.

He told Mr Farooq he wanted to go to Pembroke and paid him the agreed fare of £30.

On arrival Whitbread changed his mind and said he wanted to go to Monkton.

Mr Farooq said it would cost an extra £5 and Whitbread began to threaten him and punched his face.

The driver was so afraid he drove towards Monkton while Whitbread made threats to kill him and demanded back his original £30.

Mr Farooq told him there was a camera in the car and Whitbread said, "I don't give a f*** about that."

Whitbread directed Mr Farooq down a dark country lane but Mr Farooq refused.

Whitbread told him: "My brothers will come and get you. You will not go home tonight. I will kill you stone dead."

Mr Farooq got out of the car and ran away. Whitbread chased him and caught hold of him but ran away when he realised his victim had dialled 999 on his mobile.

Mr Simpson said police viewed CCTV coverage of Castle Square and identified Whitbread.

The court heard that Whitbread said after his arrest that he had been drunk.

The judge, Mr Recorder Carl Harrison, told Whitbread: "This was the attempted robbery of a taxi driver at his place of work, at night and while you were intoxicated."

Not that stiff for a case of Robbery.

If we look at the sentencing guidelines;

https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/of ... ommercial/

Basically it's a grid of sentences. Different levels of culpability and harm.

If we start with culpability I would put it in B. Not serious enough for A, but more serious than C.

In respect of harm I would put in 1 due to the effect this attack has had on the taxi driver's business.

So the grid indicates a starting sentence of 5 years with a range of 4-8 years (B1). Now the judge could have taken the view that this was a B2 which would be a starting point of 4 years and a range of 3-6 years.

I think, on balance, that B2 was the one the judge took, as he could reduce the starting point to the bottom of the range due to no previous, 3 years.

Then the defendant would get a third off for pleading guilty, and then maybe upped it a bit to take into account it was someone serving the public in a vulnerable position.

So in short it could have been worse for the defendant, as Robbery is deemed a very serious crime.

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IDFIMH

stupid boy

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

If he hadn't attempted to get the fare back by force, he wouldn't have spent a minute in jail.

All for £30.

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IDFIMH

precisely thick as two slices of welsh rarebit

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Indeed, but the incident doesn't read as very 'robbery-ish' to me, more like asking for his money back, and using violence and threats to that end. (Although I'm not disputing that what took place was technically a robbery.)

Which is perhaps supported by this alternative report about the case (below), which simply mentions a 'fare dispute', and in fact there's no real suggestion that it's a robbery scenario until it's stated that he pleaded guilty to attempted robbery.

And the report adds one important dimension to the case that the other piece obviously didn't think it wise to disclose, rightly or wrongly.

The report also says that he has previous convictions for drink driving and burglary.


'Gypsy boy' punched and made threats to kill taxi driver in a row over a fare

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wale ... s-16501983

Jack Whitbread told the cabbie he was a 'gypsy boy' and his brothers would get him.

A passenger punched a taxi driver in the face and threatened to "kill him stone dead" in a row over a fare, a court has heard.

Jack Whitbread told the terrified cabbie he was a "gypsy boy with a family of five million" and the driver would be dead before the end of the night.

Swansea Crown Court heard the incident has left the taxi driver frightened for his safety, and unsure about whether he wants to continue in the business.

Brian Simpson, prosecuting, said in the early hours of May 6 last year Whitbread approached a waiting cab in Castle Square in Haverfordwest and asked to be taken to Pembroke.

A fare of £30 was agreed - and paid in advance - and Whitbread sat himself in the front passenger seat of the car.

However, as they got to Pembroke Whitbread said he wanted to be taken on to nearby Monkton.

The court heard the cabbie said he wanted an extra £5 to take him to the new destination.

Mr Simpson said Whitbread began "badgering" the cabbie to drive the extra distance, then punched him in the face and began issuing threats to kill him.

The prosecutor said the passenger gave the driver two options - drive him to Monkton or be killed.

The taxi driver did as he was told but then, when Whitbread ordered him to drive down a dark lane, he refused to go any further.

The court heard Whitbread punched the man in the face again and told him he would "kill him stone dead", and get his brothers to sort him out telling him "you won't go home tonight".

When told the conversation was being recorded, Whitbread said: "I'm a gypsy boy, I don't give a f***. I've got five million family. Take me back to Monkton or I will kill you."

Further threats were issued before the cabbie grabbed his mobile phone and fled the car.

The defendant went after him, chasing him and grabbing him by the arm but when Whitbread realised the driver was on the phone to the police he made-off into the night.

The court heard the defendant was identified when police "tracked back" and checked CCTV from the start of the taxi ride in Havefordwest.

The 28-year-old was subsequently picked out by the cabbie in an identification process.

He gave "no comment" interviews to officers.

The court heard details of a brief statement from the cabbie in which he the Monkton attack was the second-such incident he had suffered, and the experience had left him feeling threatened and scared.

He said he was a dad of two young children, and was unsure whether he wanted to carry on behind the wheel.

Whitbread, of Castle Quarry, Monkton, Pembroke, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery when he appeared in the dock. A charge of making threats to kill was denied, and allowed to lay on file.

The court heard he has two previous convictions, one for burglary and one for drink-driving.

A probation report into the defendant said he had been drunk on the night in question, and could remember little of what had happened but was "shocked" at what he had done.

Stuart John, for Whitbread, said his client was on medication for anxiety, and was remorseful for what happened.

He said the defendant was now in employment, and would be able to pay compensation to his victim if he retained his liberty.

Recorder Carl Harrison sentenced the defendant to 28 months in prison.

Yeah right.

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IDFIMH