Middleton Teen Jailed For Taxi Attacks

13 June 2012, 18:16 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A Middleton teenager has been jailed after he slit a taxi drivers throat during a robbery.

18 year old Luke Daniel Sheldon admitted Section 18 Assault (wounding with intent), robbery and possessing a bladed article.

Its after he robbed a taxi driver on the 14th November last year, then the next day assaulted another taxi driver.

He was sentenced to four years for robbery for the incident on 14 November and six years eight months for robbery and five years for wounding for the incident on 15 November.

The sentences will run one together.

Stephen David Hastie from Middleton, was also involved, he’s been jailed for five years.

On the 14^th a 35-year-old taxi driver collected Sheldon and Hastie from Greengate, Middleton and asked to be taken to Whittaker Street.

When they got their both threatened the driver with a knife and demanded cash.

He handed over his takings and ran off.

The next day a 39 year old taxi driver picked up Sheldon outside the Harbord Harbord (Wetherspoon) pub.

When they arrived Sheldon slit the man’s throat. He then drove off in his car, which then crashed with a parked

The driver was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries.

Detective Constable Laura Stubbs, of Rochdale CID, said: “Both defendants carried out a knife point robbery on an innocent taxi driver who was out trying to earn a living.

“Sheldon then followed this up with a violent robbery on another taxi driver the following day.

“He suffered appalling injuries and was extremely fortunate not to have been more seriously injured or killed. 

“Both are clearly comfortable carrying weapons and threatening innocent people in order to steal what amounts to relatively small amounts of cash and it is only right they have both been imprisoned.