Robbery turns violent after Coalville trio tries to rob cash-less Uber driver
Three Coalville criminals decided to rob an Uber driver - but he did not have any cash on him. After searching the driver's wallet and throwing it on the ground, one of the robbers drove the Uber driver to Morrisons in Coalville to force him to get cash out but his cash card was in his discarded wallet.
He was taken back to the street where the robbery began and forced, through threats, to search for it. And when, after failing to find his wallet, the driver shouted for help.
The three robbers, brothers Shane and Joseph Woolley and Joseph's girlfriend Louise Horrobin, already had 90 previous offences between them when they carried out the robbery at about 1.30am on Wednesday, March 29 last year. Leicester Crown Court heard on Thursday that the Uber driver had just dropped off a customer and was in his car in Bakewell Street, Coalville, with his engine running when Shane Woolley pulled open the driver's door.
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What happened next was caught on CCTV. The driver told Shane Woolley, "Alright, mate?" and was punched in the face. Shane Woolley repeatedly punched the man while demanding money, telling him: "Give me your ******* money now or I'll batter you". The driver explained Ubers were booked online and no cash was involved.
Using an offensive term about Asian people, Shane Woolley added: "All you ***** have money, where the **** is it?" The other two defendants arrived and began searching the vehicle and the driver's wallet for money, with Joseph Woolley climbing into the front passenger seat to look.
After some time, Shane Woolley got into the driver's seat, drove up the road leaving the Uber driver behind, while the other two robbers walked away empty handed. But Shane Woolley changed his mind and returned to the Uber driver and threatened him to get into the car with him so they could go to a cashpoint.
Shane Woolley drove him to the town's Morrisons supermarket. After getting to Morrisons and discovering the victim did not have his wallet with his cash card in it, Shane Woolley drove the Uber driver all the way back to Bakewell Street and, while making threats, forced him to help him search the ground for the wallet.
The Uber driver started screaming for help and Shane Woolley repeatedly punched him, knocked him to the ground and kicked him in the ribs before fleeing the scene, 12 minutes after the incident first began. The victim was left covered in blood from the many wounds to his face. All three robbers were arrested the next day.
The court heard that Horrobin, 36, of Melbourne Street, Coalville, had 43 previous offences on her record. Joseph Woolley, 38, of the same address had 12 previous offences while his brother Shane Woolley, 31, of Dalkeith Walk, Thringstone, had 35 offences on his record.
Shane Woolley admitted robbery and attempted robbery, while the other two had each admitted attempted robbery.
James Kumar, representing Shane Woolley, said the victim had not been targeted because of his race and added that his client was upset because he had just split up with the mother of his three children at the time. He said his client couldn't remember the incident because he was so drunk.
Barristers for Joseph Woolley and Horrobin both said their clients had been done good by their time in custody and were remorseful. Judge Philip Head, sentencing the trio, described the incident as a "really nasty attack on a vulnerable taxi driver" and as a joint enterprise between the three.
Shane Woolley was jailed for 64 months, Joseph Woolley was sentenced for 43 months and Horrobin was jailed for 30 months. All three will serve half their sentences, minus the time they have already spent in custody since last year.