16-year-old girl, who was also involved, kicked and screamed at a police officer
Taxi driver was hit with a bottle and pushed to the floor
Two men have been jailed for an attack on a taxi driver and a police officer in Wythenshawe in September last year.
Samuel Burrows ,21, has been jailed for three and a half years and Calvin Macdonald ,20, has been jailed for two years, both for robbery at Manchester Crown Court.
A 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, received a 12-month referral order and was ordered to pay compensation.
The court was told that the taxi driver was sent to Lullington Close to pick up a fare but when he arrived in his silver Skoda Octavia, he was met by Burrows, Macdonald and the 16-year-old who falsely claimed the fare as their own.
Macdonald told the driver to take his friends home but then grabbed the keys from the ignition and began to wave them around, taunting the driver before the others joined in, swearing profusely.
When Burrows asked the driver for his mobile phone and money, he tried to get out of the car but Macdonald pressed the key fob, activating the central locking and trapping the driver inside.
Burrows continued to make demands for the phone, cash and vaulables before the driver managed to escape by climbing out of the window.
Burrows quickly made his way to the other side of the car and punched the driver in the face and kicked his body and legs.
Macdonald got into the car and tried to start the ignition but was stopped by the driver who managed to reach in, take back the keys and ran towards Portway, shouting for help.
He was pursued by Macdonald who hit him with a bottle and a struggled ensued before the driver managed to grab his collar and attempt to take him to the taxi office, a short distance away.
The 16-year-old intervened; pushing the taxi driver to the floor before the pair jointly kicked and punched him to the head with one of them screaming ‘Give me the key!’
Officers arrived on the scene and the 16-year-old fled in an unknown direction before being traced shortly after and becoming aggressive. She then kicked one of the officers in the face as she was told to calm down.
Meanwhile, Macdonald got into the taxi and tried to drive off but immediately collided with a bollard.
He got out of the car and ran towards Eric Bullows Close before garden hopping along the rear of some houses and away from the scene.
Witnesses identified both Burrows and Macdonald as well as forensic testing proving blood found on the driver’s door handle of the Skoda belonged to Burrows.
Detective Constable Mark Ledger of GMP’s City of Manchester Team, said: “This has been really difficult for the victim in this case who was subject to such a harrowing attack that he may never emotionally recover.
“He was forced to lose earnings as he was too scared to return to work, affecting his whole family.
“A person should be able to go to work and carry out their daily lives without living in fear but sadly, these three have taken the victim’s right to feel safe away and will never truly understand the psychological impact their actions have had.”
