He held him for 40 minutes against his will in the terrifying ordeal
A menacing taxi passenger suddenly turned nasty, threatened the terrified driver with a knife and demanded cash before ordering the man to get into the boot of his car during a nightmare ordeal in the early hours of the morning. The shocked taxi driver bravely refused to get into the boot and managed to flee to safety before summoning the help of another taxi driver.
The robbery had a “devastating” impact on the victim and “shattered” his confidence in the job that he loved, Hull Crown Court heard. Dale Allison, 43, of Mayland Avenue, Hull, admitted offences of robbery and causing criminal damage on March 25. He pleaded guilty to the robbery on the day of a scheduled trial.
Nick Murphy, prosecuting, said that Allison booked a taxi in the early hours of the morning to take him to First Lane, Hessle, and the journey began at 12.20am. Allison was drinking a bottle of alcohol.
When they reached the Boothferry estate, the taxi driver asked for the £8.20 fare but Allison pulled out a kitchen knife and pointed it towards the man’s chest. He told the driver: “Just give me everything you have.”
The driver gave him all his cash, including from a coin holder and some notes. Allison told him, while holding the knife, to go the nearby Asda store car park.
He used the internet hotspot to contact people by phone, asked the taxi driver how much money he had in the bank and examined his driving licence and taxi licence. “The defendant ordered the victim to get out of his car to get into the boot,” said Mr Murphy. The driver refused and escaped from the scene.
Allison followed him for a short distance. The driver asked another taxi driver for help and the police were alerted. The taxi driver followed Allison and took photographs of him.
Allison stabbed the rear tyre of the other taxi driver’s car before disappearing towards Hessle Road and down a side street. He was arrested the next day.
During police interview, Allison denied the offences and pretended that the two taxi drivers were involved in some sort of conspiracy to rob him and that the first driver pulled out a knife. He had convictions for 19 previous offences, most recently assault causing actual bodily harm and theft in 2021.
The driver later said that the robbery had a devastating impact on him. “I couldn’t sleep for a couple of days after the incident due to constantly reliving what had happened,” he said.
Allison kept him against his will for 40 minutes and he felt “utterly powerless” during the ordeal. “It shattered my confidence and my ability to do my job,” he said.
“Being a taxi driver is too risky. I am now on constant high alert. I will be leaving the profession completely. This has destroyed my ability to work in the profession that I loved. “The stress and strain of this whole ordeal has left me a shadow of what I was before. I am constantly having to reassure myself that the shift will be okay.”
Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that the robbery offence was clearly not planned when Allison booked the taxi in his own name and giving his address. “It’s terrible offending,” said Miss Scott. “It’s clearly had an impact on the driver.”
Allison had shown remorse and he did not start committing offences until he was 37 years old. “He knows that he can’t make any repeat of this offending at all,” said Miss Scott. “He knows that this has to be the end of his offending. He knows that this is serious offending. He knows that it will be a custodial sentence and he knows that he richly deserves that.”
Judge John Thackray KC told Allison: “All offences of robbery are serious but this is a particularly serious example. Your victim is a taxi driver working late at night.
“Taxi drivers play an extremely valuable role in society. They offer safe travel to members of the public late at night. They inevitably work alone and are therefore, to a degree, vulnerable.
“You booked this taxi. It was booked in your own name. What followed was extremely serious. You threatened your victim with a knife and asked for money and, if that was not bad enough, he says that you detained him for about 40 minutes and told him to get in the boot of his vehicle.
“He must have been terrified. Brandishing a weapon as you were, he was undoubtedly terrified of what was going to happen to him and he bravely refused to get into the boot and managed to escape. He sought the assistance of another taxi driver and you slashed the tyre of that taxi driver.
“The offence has had a devastating impact on him. He has struggled to sleep. It has shattered his confidence. It may be that he has to give up a job that he loves.
“Your victim was targeted due to vulnerability. You were under the influence of alcohol.”
Allison was jailed for seven years and two months.