Jail for pretending he had a knife

A man gets nearly 2 years in jail for pretending to have a knife and trying to rob a taxi man.

Birmingham Crown Court was told that Nerious Williams, of Vicarage Road, Hockley, made out he had a weapon by putting his hand in his pocket during his ride home on the evening of March 9 last year.

The 20-year-old admitted a charge or robbery.

Ian Ball, prosecuting, said the victim had picked up the defendant and three of his friends at around 11pm and had taken them to a road in Handsworth.

The driver was told to stop and two of the men, who had been in the back of his cab, got out but then got in again.

The driver was then told to hand over all the cash and Williams reached into his pocket to suggest he had a knife.

When the taxi driver said he had no money , the men in the back got out and tried to snatch the keys from the driver after opening the drivers door. The driver tried to defend himself and put his hand over the keys,to prevent them being took, but then one of the other attackers then snatched his sat-nav system.

The driver then tried to drive off but Williams prevented the victim from putting his vehicle into gear otherwise the driver would have taken him eith him. Williams then got out and ran off with the others.

Nial Skinner, defending Mr Williams, said: “There was no injury to the taxi driver although he may well have felt considerable fear.”

He added that Williams had kept out of trouble since the offence and that he had not been the prime mover.

Judge Morris told Williams: “I sentence you on the basis you did not have a weapon but that was enough to strike terror in your victim, who was vulnerable.

“The courts will protect people who work on the buses, in taxis and in shops from greedy and violent young men like you.”

Williams was sentenced to 21 months in custody.