Thug who robbed cabbies gets 7-year sentence
A‘THRILL seeking’ thug who robbed two taxi drivers at knifepoint has been jailed for seven years.
Elliot Lee Boothman, formerly of Oswaldtwistle and Clayton-le-Moors, robbed driver Yasser Javid of his Skoda Octavia taxi and cash outside Omars Takeaway on Nuttall Street in Accrington.
Less than two weeks later the 24-year-old robbed another taxi driver, Parvez Akhar, of his red Skoda Octavia on Bury Road in Rawtenstall, a court heard.
The court heard how the £7,500 taxi was then torched by co-defendants Christopher Niven and Jacob Christopherson on a residential street, forcing a ‘traumatised’ family to flee their home for safety.
Boothman pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and one count each of driving while disqualified and with no insurance.
He was jailed for seven years.
Prosecutor David Clarke told the court the first taxi driver robbery involving 41-year-old victim Yasser Javid happened in the early hours of January 20.
Preston Crown Court heard Mr Javid picked up Boothman and co-defendant Christopherson in Rawtenstall before taking them to Omars Takeaway.
Mr Clarke said during the journey front seat passenger Boothman was ‘acting weird and making odd comments’ including saying to Mr Javid ‘You can stab me, he can stab me’.
When they arrived at the takeaway Mr Javid saw Boothman was holding a ‘large eight-inch kitchen knife’ in his right hand and the defendant shouted ‘get out of the car, I will kill you’.
The court heard that Mr Javid was ‘scared and in fear of his own life’ and when Boothman ‘pushed the knife towards him’ it made contact with his torso but caused no injury.
Mr Clarke said the victim tried to grab the car keys and knife but Boothman pushed him away and he fell back into the road.
Mr Javid then tried to open the rear door but Christopherson pulled it shut before the taxi was driven away by Boothman.
Police spotted the vehicle at a petrol station in Burnley three hours later and arrested both defendants.
The court heard how officers found a Snapchat video taken at 3.18am which showed Boothman driving the stolen vehicle away from the scene.
Christopherson could be heard shouting ‘we just robbed a taxi’.
In a victim statement, Mr Javid said he is now anxious and scared, particularly working at weekends, and has reduced working hours.
Boothman and Christopherson were released under investigation but were then involved in another knifepoint taxi robbery in Rawtenstall on February 2.
Mr Clarke said Niven and Boothman got into Parvez Akhar’s taxi on Bury Road and Niven ‘immediately leant over and swore’ at the driver.
The court heard Mr Akhar saw front seat passenger Niven was holding a knife and tried to grab it but cut four of his fingers.
Back seat passenger Boothman then grabbed hold of Mr Akhar and punched him to the shoulder while Niven punched him to the body and face.
When the victim fled the taxi Niven jumped into the passenger seat and reversed the taxi at speed into a wall.
Christopherson then got into the vehicle before it was driven away at speed.
The incident was captured on a dashboard camera.
Mr Clarke said 90 minutes later the stolen taxi was set on fire at the entrance to a primary school in Rawtenstall.
However the vehicle ‘rolled back’ onto a wall near a house occupied by a couple and their children.
The court heard that the occupants were awoken by loud banging and saw an ‘orange glow’ outside.
The ‘traumatised’ family fled the house through a back door and Niven and Christopherson were seen walking away and smelling of accelerate.
Ricky Holland, defending Boothman, now of Rawtenstall, said there is an ‘element of thrill seeking’ to the offences which is ‘troubling’.
The barrister said his client was also ‘attracted to drugs and alcohol’ and has now ‘found himself in the depths of despair’.
Richard Orme, defending Niven, said the arson was ‘an attempt to conceal forensic evidence’ and that the vehicle rolling back to the house was an ‘unintended consequence’.
The barrister said Niven banged on the door to alert the householder to the danger
Hugh Barton, defending Christopherson, said there is ‘genuine remorse’ from his client and he played a ‘lesser role’ in the ‘grave offences’.
Niven, 29, of Sandfield Road, Bacup, pleaded guilty to robbery, arson and threatening another with a bladed article, He was jailed for 56 months.
Christopherson, 18, of Carr Mount, Rawtenstall, pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and one count of arson and was sent to a young offenders institute for 53 months.