Drunken Leek man guilty of racial robbery of Hanley taxi driver

A Leek man has been sentenced to a community order and tagged after a racially aggravated robbery of a Hanley taxi driver.

Samuel Bradbury, 19, from Winkhill, used racial and threatening language towards the driver, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard.

Bradbury, who paid £21 upfront for a fare from Hanley to Leek on October 15, asked the driver where he was from.

Then he reacted aggressively with a drunken racial slur.

The prosecutor told the court how Bradbury had said: “You shouldn’t be here taking our jobs” and referred to “killing him with my bare hands.”

He became angry and demanded his money back. The driver handed back £5 out of fear.

The defendant was ordered to 200 hours of unpaid work and must wear an electronic tag for three months of the 18-month sentence.

Judge Paul Glenn noted that Bradbury had no previous convictions, was from a good family and was in full-time employment since leaving education.

But of the racial slur, Judge Glenn added: “I treat this as a considerably aggravating feature. You’ve now lost your good name.”

Bradbury was also ordered to pay £300 compensation and £1,200 court costs.