September 25, 2007
Women jailed for taxi robbery
TWO young women - one of whom is pregnant - have been jailed for robbing a taxi driver.
Selina Dunning, 24, who is expecting her second child and Carlie Clark, 19, both from WGC, appeared at St Albans Crown Court yesterday for sentencing.
Isabel Delamere, prosecuting, told the court how, at about 5am on September 30 last year, the two women were in Luton when they decided to get a taxi home.
It set off from Luton with Clark, from Athelstan Walk North, on the back seat and Dunning, from Margery Wood, in the front passenger seat.
As the taxi approached WGC, driver Muhammed Laquib asked where they wanted to go, at which point he was told to pull up.
He did so and was suddenly told by Dunning "Give us the money or we will shout rape."
Clark put a belt round Mr Laquib's neck while Dunning went through his pockets.
The court was told he managed to get free and jump out of the car.
When he did both women got into the front looking for his takings.
When Mr Laquib tried to reach into his cab to get his money he was hit, and eventually chased by Clark.
Later, when he was able to return to his vehicle, he found it had been extensively damaged inside and takings of between £25 and £30 had gone.
Police were able to trace Clark, who had previous reprimands for battery and theft, through DNA after a saliva sample had been found on the car's bonnet.
Clark blamed Dunning and said it had been on the older woman's instructions that she had put an arm around the neck of Mr Laquib.
Dunning was arrested three days later.
She denied doing anything wrong and said Clark had "just flipped" on the back seat.
In fact, Dunning had pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbery, but had been convicted by a jury in July.
Clark had admitted the offence.
Daniel Higgins, for Clark, said she had been brought up for part of her childhood in care and suffered from a "borderline personality disorder".
He said she was now sorry for what she had done and wanted to apologise to Mr Laquib.
Kaja Reiff-Musgrove, for Dunning, said the robbery had been "totally out of character", committed during a difficult period of her life when she had endured domestic violence at the hands of a partner.
The barrister said Dunning had now formed a new relationship with someone else and was expecting a child by him in three months.
Passing sentence, Judge Stephen Warner said because of their work, taxi drivers were vulnerable.
He told the women: "You operated on that night as a team. The offence was committed at night with a vulnerable victim being targeted and force was used with him being restrained."
Dunning was jailed for nine months. Giving some credit for admitting the offence, the judge ordered Clark to serve seven months in a young offenders' institute.
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