A drug dealer who robbed a taxi driver of his takings and phone was tracked down with the help of the device’s “Find My” function.
Darren Davies swiped the iPhone while making off from the man’s taxi in Glenrothes.
Police initially tracked the signal to a neighbour’s home but were attracted to Davies’ property by a disturbance.
Officers searched the property and found the taxi driver’s money bags, along with a stash of illegal drugs.
When interviewed by police at Kirkcaldy police station, 31-year-old Davies attempted to smash up the room.
Harrowing taxi journey
Fiscal depute Claire Bremner told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court Davies had been picked up from the town’s train station by the taxi driver at around 10.20pm after getting off a train from Edinburgh.
She said: “He entered the taxi and sat in the front passenger seat.
“The accused asked to be driven to Glenrothes.
“The complainer noticed he appeared to be intoxicated, or perhaps under the influence of drugs.
“They drove for around 15 minutes and as they drove along Warout Road, the accused placed his hand into the centre console of the vehicle and picked up a black iPhone.
“The complainer took this from the accused and placed it in the pocket of the driver’s door.
“The accused then placed his hand in the central console again and tried to pick up some money bags containing 10ps and 20ps.
“The complainer said ‘no’ and closed the lid of the compartment, trapping the accused’s fingers.
“He told the complainer he had assaulted him.”
Taxi robbery
The taxi driver stopped the car on Alexander Road because Davies was becoming angry.
As he attempted to call police, Davies swiped the money before snatching the iPhone out of the driver’s hand and running off.
Ms Bremner said the taxi driver was able to call police on a second mobile phone.
She said: “At 10.40pm a response unit and CID were dispatched and carried out a search for the accused.
“Police then used the Find My app to search for the iPhone and it showed as being in the Canmore Path area.”
She said the occupants of a house allowed officers to carry out a search but their attention was drawn to Davies’ house, where the stolen property, as well as more than £800 of Etizolam tablets – street Valium – were found.
At the police station Davies verbally abused officers, stripped off his shirt and tried to overturn the table and chairs in the interview room, despite them being bolted to the floor.
He also assaulted a detective by trying to gouge his eye.
Drugs and assault
Solicitor Dewar Spence, defending, said Davies had the drugs as he was helping move them around to pay off a debt.
He said while Davies had denied being under the influence of drugs, police footage of the interview proved this was not the case as it showed “something sweeping over him”.
Davies, at prisoner at Perth, admitted stealing the mobile, business cards and cash on Alexander Road, Glenrothes, on October 12 last year.
He further admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner while en route to Kirkcaldy Police Station by shouting, swearing and threatening violence to police officers, and to being concerned in the supply of Etizolam at his home address on the same date.
He further admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner and to assaulting a police officer while being interviewed at Kirkcaldy Police Station on October 13.
Sheriff John Morris jailed him for two and a half years.
