A St Andrews youth who threatened to stick a knife into the neck of a taxi driver, before making off with the man’s vehicle, has been sentenced to a year in detention.
Cupar Sheriff Court heard that the offence had caused devastation in the life of the victim, and Sheriff Charles Macnair said that despite the young age of the accused there was no alternative to custody.
Jordan Withers (16), Roundhill Road, appeared for sentence on Thursday after previously admitting that on November 13, on Tom Morris Drive, St Andrews, he assaulted Hasan Sas, presented a knife at him, and robbed him of a Vauxhall Vectra.
He also admitted driving without a licence and without insurance.
The court had been told that the accused, who was 15 at the time of the offence, had asked to be taken to a local shop. He had sat in the front passenger seat and produced a knife when they stopped at a junction.
The taxi driver said he had no money, and had offered to take Withers where he wanted to go free of charge, but the accused told him to get out or, “I will stick a knife in your neck.”
The depute fiscal said the driver had got out, leaving the keys, and Withers moved into the driving seat and drove away.
A short time later a witness had heard a loud bang outside her house and had noticed the taxi had been driven up a lane, where it became wedged.
The accused was seen to get out of the passenger side and walk away. The accused then reappeared at the scene, told police he had stolen the car, and where he had disposed of the knife he had with him.
He said he had taken the car because he was “thinking about having fun.”
The depute fiscal said the accused had told police he had been drinking, and felt bad about what had happened.
On Thursday defence solicitor Alan Davies said that while there had been some planning for the incident, it did not go into any particular depth.
Withers, he said, had made the decision in a very short period of time without thought for the consequences for the driver or for himself, and had not grasped how serious the offence was.
The solicitor said that Withers had a clear understanding of the offence and the consequences for him, but hoped that there would be an alternative to custody.
Sheriff Macnair, however, had strong criticism for Withers, and he said that there had been a devastating impact on the victim, a man who had been in Scotland trying to improve his life and to save for going to university.
He had been in a stable life, had accommodation, and a girlfriend, but appeared to have lost most of that as a result of the accused’s offending.
The victim had to give up his work as a taxi driver because he was scared the same thing would happen again, and because he was embarrassed about the attitude of others in the community to what had happened.
He said that if Withers had been an adult the sentence would have been substantial, and if it had involved an adult with a criminal record he would have considered remitting it to the High Court.
In addition to the year-long sentence, Withers was banned from driving for a year.