Two men have been jailed after a Lincoln taxi driver was restrained, punched and robbed of his mobile phone during an attack earlier this year.
Liam O’Leary, 46, and Shane McHale, 23, appeared at Lincoln Crown Court for sentencing on 18 August after both had pleaded guilty to robbery.
The offence happened on 31 March 2026 on Dixon Street in Lincoln.
According to Lincolnshire Police, a member of the public alerted officers after witnessing what appeared to be an attack on a taxi driver inside his vehicle.
The driver had been restrained and punched to the head, causing bleeding, before the two men ran from the scene with his mobile phone.
Police were able to use the location of the stolen phone alongside CCTV enquiries to trace the suspects.
Officers subsequently found O’Leary at a nearby flat along with McHale, and the taxi driver’s phone was also recovered from the address.
O’Leary was sentenced to three years and four months in prison, while McHale received a sentence of three years and two months.
Lincolnshire Police credited the victim, the member of the public who reported the incident and other members of the community with helping officers bring the case to court.
The case is another example of the risks taxi and private hire drivers can face while working, particularly when carrying passengers late at night or dealing with incidents inside the confined space of a vehicle.
Unlike an arrest or an ongoing allegation, both men in this case pleaded guilty to robbery and have now been sentenced by the Crown Court.
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