An Egremont man has been jailed after committing a knife point robbery of a taxi driver.

A court heard that on the early hours of December 16 Curtis Baron, 27, or Beck Green, in Egremont, got in a taxi from Whitehaven with another man.

The taxi headed towards Mirehouse to drop of the man before heading to Egremont to drop Baron off. The taxi stopped on Main Street, Egremont and the driver requested payment for the fare.

Baron requested him to continue on to Beck Green to get some money.

The taxi stopped on Beck Green where Baron brandished a knife at the taxi drivers neck demanding money and threatening his life.

The driver threw his wallet and pointed to a bag of money totalling around £60 to £80 which Baron stole.

He also demanded the driver’s phone which he refused, Baron gave up on getting the phone before further threatening the driver if he contacted the police and left the scene.

Following a report, Cumbria Police arrested Baron, who they found hiding in his attic.

In the attic they also retrieved the money and the knife.

The 27-year-old was jailed for three years on Wednesday, April 17, after pleading guilty.

Detective Constable Alex Chalker investigating the case said: “Baron subjected the victim to a terrifying ordeal whilst he was doing his job.

“The use of a knife to intimidate people is completely unacceptable, and if used can have fatal consequences.

“We hope this sends a clear message to anyone making a conscious decision to carry a knife or commit this type of offence that we will do everything we can to bring criminals to justice.”