Good bit more detail about the offences, his background and sentencing, if anyone's interested.
'Give me your money, I'm a gangster from Hardwick' said racist knifeman during violent rampagehttps://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/tees ... r-20501629What Tony Hornby told taxi driver before threatening him with a knife and slashing his tyresA self-declared 'gangster from Hardwick' is starting a lengthy jail spell for a series of offences over lockdown.
Tony Hornby's crime spree included racially abusing taxi drivers and threatening them with a knife, smashing up a bus shelter and hitting a woman "full force" in the face.
Teesside Crown Court heard the 20-year-old has ADHD and had struggled with his mental health over lockdown.
His offending started on May 19 last year when police pulled over a Vauxhall Corsa he was travelling in on the A689 near Hartlepool and found cannabis, cocaine, a large kitchen knife and a CS gas cannister in a rucksack.
Then on September 28, he was seen kicking the glass in on a bus shelter on Yarm Road in Stockton. When challenged by a police officer, he responded with racist and threatening language.
Hornby was again released under investigation but went on to re-offend several times throughout the night on October 16.
The court heard on Friday how, after taking a taxi from the Roseworth area of Stockton to Middlesbrough then Thornaby, he refused to pay the £30 fare.
Later, by coincidence, he was picked up by the same taxi driver.
Philip Morley, prosecuting, told the court how Hornby was taken to several Stockton addresses.
But when asked to pay he pulled out a Stanley knife and glared at the driver "in an angry way".
"He said 'Take me back to Yarm Road', and [the taxi driver] said he felt threatened and obliged," said Mr Morley.
"At 3am that same morning there was another taxi driver who picked up the defendant who was now in the company of a female.
"The defendant was taken to a number of addresses and it was on the return journey that he became aggressive.
"He said, 'Give me your money, I am a gangster from Hardwick'.
"He pulled out a knife and said, 'I told you to take the money out,' and the driver described him lunging back and forth with the knife."
The court heard no money was taken from the taxi driver but, after getting out, Horby proceeded to slash his tyres with the knife.
The night of offending continued at a house on Yarm Road where he attacked a woman by slapping and punching her to the face, causing her to suffer a split lip.
Hornby was charged with numerous offences including blackmail, attempted robbery, possession of class A and B drugs, criminal damage, making threats with a bladed article, assault and a racially-aggravated public order offence.
The court heard Hornby, of Ilkeston Walk in the Hardwick area of Stockton, had no relevant previous convictions and had been struggling with mental health issues over lockdown.
Defence lawyer Nicci Horton said: "What we have here is effectively, Mr Hornby losing control of his life.
"Mr Hornby told me he was struggling with his mental health and struggling with the lockdown situation.
"He lost his job; he had been working as a mechanic.
"His life was spiralling out of control and these events were for somebody who already has difficulties."
The court heard Hornby's mum died when he was a child and he attended a secondary school for children with behavioural difficulties.
"His older siblings have some criminal history as well and he hasn't always had the best role models," added Ms Horton.
Hornby pleaded guilty to all the charges.
Appearing via videolink from Durham Prison, he said, 'Cheers' after being handed a sentence of six years and ten months' imprisonment.
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