A 21 year-old Navan man was jailed for three years at the Circuit Court in Trim last week for the attempted robbery of a local taxi driver.

Stephen Coleman, 87 Balreask Village, Navan, admitted attempted robbery at Athlumney, Navan, on 6th September 2006.

Garda Jennifer Barry told Judge Michael O’Shea that the taxi driver, Noel Smith, was stopped at traffic lights

at Athlumney at 10.30pm

on the evening in question when Stephen Coleman opened the door of the taxi and started shouting at him for money.

She said Coleman had something shiny in his hand and Noel Smith wasn’t sure if it was a knife. It was actually an emblem from a car.

Garda Barry said the taxi driver had asked to get out of the car on the pretext of getting money and he then got passers-by to help restrain the defendant.

She said that Coleman was intoxicated and both violent and abusive on the occasion and it took six gardai to restrain him. Nothing had been taken from the victim. She said Coleman later admitted the offence and apologised.

Garda Barry added that the taxi driver was now very nervous and always keeps the door of his car locked. She added that Coleman had a number of previous convictions.

Defence counsel Mr Patrick Purcell, BL, said the defendant was 21 years-old, had a girlfriend and a son who was born last April. He said Coleman was the youngest of a family of seven and had left school at a young age. He had suffered from cancer as a child and had to have a bone marrow transplant in the UK.

Mr Purcell added that the defendant had applied for a licence to carry out the same trade as his father, who worked for the ESB testing the flows of rivers and lakes. He said Coleman had been drinking a lot at the time of the offence, almost on a daily basis.

Counsel added that the defendant had expressed remorse to the victim for his actions and to the Gardai.

http://www.meathchronicle.ie/news/man-jailed-for-attempted-raid-on-taxi-driver-807926.html