Woman jailed for attempted knife-point robbery of taxi driver

A woman who left a taxi driver scared to go to work after an attempted knife-point robbery has been jailed.

After being picked up in the early hours, Keavey Toal handed the driver her mobile phone as collateral, saying she would pay him once she reached her destination in William Street, Derby.

When the car stopped in William Street Toal went into a block of flats before returning two minutes later when she got into the back of the taxi, held a knife to the driver’s throat and shouted ‘give me my phone back or I’ll stab you’. She then demanded the driver hand over his money but after he told her he didn’t have any, she got out of the car and walked back into the flats.

In a victim impact statement, the taxi driver said: “The incident has affected me emotionally and financially.

“I now feel scared every time I go to work. As a result, I’ve had to cut my hours down and I only work during the daytime. These are quieter shifts which has resulted in me losing approximately £200 per week.”

Toal was arrested and denied the offence, which occurred on 11 April 2022, in interview but was later charged with attempted robbery and threatening a person with a bladed article.

Keavey Toal

She had also been charged with a number of unrelated offences including two counts of criminal damage -  one from 25 March 22 when she smashed a glass door at the Royal Derby Hospital and the other on 6 July 2022 when she damaged doors as she tried to force entry to the Aldi store in Coleman Street, Derby.

On 6 August 2021, Toal assaulted three police officers called to an incident in Derby, and also caused criminal damage to a car after jumping onto the bonnet.

The 23-year-old, of William Street, Derby, appeared at Derby Crown Court on 19 July when she was jailed for two and a half years after admitting attempted robbery, threatening a person with a bladed article, three counts of assaulting an emergency worker by beating and three counts of criminal damage.

Detective Staff Investigator Adrianna Wachowska, who led the investigation into the attempted robbery, said: “No-one should feel threatened or scared when simply doing their job but Toal’s actions in the early hours of 11 April 2022 have understandably had a significant and long-lasting impact on the victim.

“I hope that knowing Toal is now in jail will bring him some comfort and help him to move on from this traumatic experience.”