Sussex wrote:
Teen locked up for 5 years after knife attack on cabbie
A TEENAGE thug has been locked up after a terrifying knife attack on a taxi driver. Joshua Jowett, 19, racially abused and threatened to kill the driver in the attack on March 26, 2010, before driving off in the blue Toyota Avensis.
At 12.57am Jowett, of Ashville Grove, Pellon, ordered a taxi from A1 Ziggy's taxi rank in Halifax. He directed the taxi towards Rye Lane and asked to turn down an unmarked road but the driver refused. At that point Jowett pulled a knife with a ten-inch blade from his left sleeve with a striped sock on one hand and a glove on the other. He told the driver to give him all his money and the car keys and racially abused him before threatening to kill him and thrusting the weapon at the driver's face.
This only resulted in a cut finger for the driver who was shielding his face with his hands. The driver got out and Jowett drove off in the vehicle, he was later spotted in the car in Sowerby Bridge and was followed by police who arrested him at a local garage soon after.
Defence counsel, Emma Downing, described Jowett as an immature young man who suffered form obsessive-complusive disorder regarding hygiene, cleanliness and personal routine. Jowett appeared in Bradford Crown Court charged with two further robberies in 2009 prior to the taxi attack where he punched his victims repeatedly before stealing their mobile phones.
Recorder Toby Wynn, sentencing, said: "For your age you have a truly appalling record. The trauma, upset and distress you have caused to those in your community is beyond comprehension. "Taxi drivers are in a vulnerable position and need to be protected by the courts. Having taken the vehicle and his takings you drove it in around in your drunken and drugged up state for a further hour and when seen by the police you drove in a dangerous manner putting the public at risk. "I need to give the community a respite from your activities."
PC Nick Good, of Calderdale Roads Policing Unit, said: "We recognise that taxi drivers are providing a valued service within the community. Like hundreds of taxi drivers, Mr Mahmood was just doing his job and we are keen to ensure taxi drivers can go about their daily business in safety. "Today's verdict sends out a clear message that we will not tolerate people who commit robberies in Calderdale - we will rigorously pursue any investigation and bring offenders before the courts."
Police are hoping that new methods will help to improve safety for taxi drivers in Calderdale. Chief Inspector Mark Allsop, of Calderdale police, said: "Police recently secured Home Office funding through Vigilance to finance cameras for taxi drivers. The cameras help to deter would-be offenders and gather evidence which can later be used in court."
Jowett pleaded guilty to all the charges and was sentenced to two years imprisonment in a young offenders institute for the 2009 robberies and a further three years for the taxi assault in March 2010.
vv@nker. I hope he gets some special love while he's in there.
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