Milton Keynes man and accomplice jailed for robbery of taxi drivers in Bedford and Flitwick

Two men have been jailed for the robberies of taxi drivers in Bedford and Flitwick in October 2019.

Ryan Edwards, 23, of no fixed address, and Tyrese Abbas, 20, of Buckingham Road, Bletchley, were sentenced on Monday (18/10) to more than seven years in total after pleading guilty to the robbery offences.

The first incident took place on October 7, 2019 after a taxi driver picked up a group of men in Kettering and drove them to Boswell Place in Bedford. When they arrived at the location the group then grabbed the victim by his neck and stole his earnings, as well as personal documents, before running off from the scene.

The second incident happened a day later on October 8, 2019 when a second taxi driver picked up the offenders from Chapel Street in Luton. When arriving at the agreed location in Kendall Drive in Flitwick, the group threatened the driver with a knife and stole his earnings. The victim managed to sound the car horn to raise alarm and scare off the attackers.

Edwards and Abbas were identified from significant evidence, such as CCTV in Bedford, and DNA and fingerprints left at the scene in Flitwick. They were eventually arrested in connection to the incidents on January 6, 2020.

Ryan Edwards was sentenced to 51 months for two counts of robbery. Additionally this sentencing activated a previous suspended 33 month sentence for drug related offences; totalling seven years imprisonment.

Tyrese Abbas was sentenced to 37 months in a Young Offender Institution for two counts of robbery.

Both were also ordered to pay a total of £362 victim surcharge. A 19-year old man was also sentenced in connection to these incidents to two-and-a-half years in Young Offender Institution in November 2020.

Detective Constable Lisa Whitson, from Bedfordshire Police’s North Crime Investigation Department, said: “We are satisfied with the lengthy imprisonment for Edwards and the Young Offender Institute sentence for Abbas. They initially denied involvement in these robberies, but pleaded guilty under the weight of evidence gathered by myself and my team.

“These incidents were violent and targeted towards hard working taxi drivers. Nobody should ever feel scared when going to work and we are happy that the court imposed sentences reflecting the seriousness of this type of crime.”

If you have been affected by crime, Signpost offers free and confidential support to victims in Bedfordshire, whether it has been reported to police or not, and irrespective of where and when the crime occurred.

Contact 0800 0282887 or visit Signpost for Bedfordshire https://www.signpostforbedfordshire.com/ for further information.