A drug dealer posing as an Uber taxi driver has been jailed for over two years after dealing drugs in Harrogate in a liveried cab.

Azar Iqbal Rehman, 51, was arrested by police in the Asda car park in Harrogate where he had been loitering in the ‘taxi’, York Crown Court heard.

When police approached the vehicle and tried to confiscate the car keys, the fake cabbie tried to drive off, said prosecutor John Hobley.

Officers searched the vehicle and found 72 cocaine bags and 20 MDMA packets, as well as £710 cash.

Rehman, a married father-of-five who worked as a lorry driver, told officers there were “more drugs at his home”, added Mr Hobley.

Police searched his house and found a further 126 cocaine packets hidden in a lock box inside his bedroom and more cash.

Mr Hobley said the total amount of drugs seized was 85g of cocaine and over 6g of MDMA, an ecstasy-type drug, with an estimated street value of more than £17,000.

Rehman, of Rhodesway, Bradford, was charged with two counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply and one count of possessing criminal property, namely £1,255 cash.

He admitted the offences and appeared for sentence on Tuesday.

‘Half-hearted’ escape attempt

Mr Hobley said Rehman was caught in December 2019 when two officers in an unmarked car became suspicious when they saw the Uber ‘cab’ parked some distance from the entrance to the supermarket. Their suspicions were heightened when it didn’t move for over 20 minutes.

When they approached the vehicle, which was “liveried as an Uber taxi”, Rehman “appeared nervous”.

He was removed from the vehicle after his “half-hearted” attempt at escape.

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Along with the drugs and cash, officers found a mobile phone inside the vehicle, which had a “stream of text messages containing addresses”.

They also found a “dealer debt list”, said Mr Hobley.

Rehman told police he had been dealing for about four months under direction from others.

He claimed he had been paid £150 a week by his drug bosses, but a financial investigation found that £6,000 had been deposited into his bank account during the four months he had been dealing.

Addicted to cocaine

George Hazel-Owram, mitigating, said Rehman had never been in trouble before and started dealing after becoming addicted to cocaine and running up a debt to his own suppliers.

However, he conceded that although there was a “degree of pressure” from those higher up the chain, it “fell far short of duress”.

Rehman had been “directed to drive to certain addresses to deliver drugs”, added the barrister.

He said Rehman had worked “throughout his adult life”, lately as a HGV driver but “predominantly” as a bus driver.

Judge Simon Hickey said Rehman had clearly made a “substantial amount of cash” from his drug enterprise.

He said the fact that Rehman was making drug deliveries in an Uber ‘taxi’ was an aggravating factor as he was “operating under the guise of a taxi to deal drugs on the street”.

He said the police investigation debunked Rehman’s claim that he was only dealing to pay off a drug debt.

He told Rehman:

“You must understand that anybody who deals in Class A drugs is dealing in a pernicious, revolting drug because it causes death (and) misery.”

He said although it was Rehman’s “first foray” into drug-dealing and he had family commitments, it could only be an immediate jail sentence.

Rehman was jailed for two years and eight months. He will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.

A Harrogate shoplifter who was caught in possession of a meat cleaver has been jailed for 11 months.

Colin Bradley, 33, of Hargrove Road, had been carrying the lethal weapon at Asda in Harrogate where he stole two bottles of Jack Daniel’s whisky, York Crown Court heard today.

The fresh-produce manager stopped Bradley as he was leaving the store with the whisky bottles. Bradley was at first co-operative, said prosecutor Martin Bosomworth.

But when the male employee noticed more items in his jacket and pockets and asked him if he had stolen anything else, Bradley became aggressive and a “stand-off” ensued.

Mr Bosomworth told the court:

“(Bradley) put his hand in his pockets (where the blade was) and said, ‘Do you want it then?’”

“The (named manager) formed the impression that the defendant had some kind of knife.”

Fearing for his safety, the manager got out of Bradley’s way and let him leave the store.

Shortly after, police stopped Bradley and asked him if he was carrying a weapon. He pulled out a meat cleaver and handed it over.

Numerous thefts

Bradley, who was drunk and possibly high on drugs, was arrested and brought in for questioning. He refused to answer police questions about the incident on March 3.

He was released on bail pending further enquiries.

During this time, local shops and supermarkets provided CCTV evidence showing the convicted thief had targeted other stores since the beginning of February.

In one incident on February 10 he stole four packs of Stella Artois, food items and ready meals from the Co-op store on Knaresborough Road. He returned to the same shop later in the day to steal a multi-pack of tuna and a pack of Foster’s lager.

After being released on bail, he stole four cases of Jack Daniel’s and two packs of lager from the Co-op store on King Edward Drive on May 5.

Just over two weeks later, he targeted Sainsbury’s supermarket in Knaresborough where he stole cases of San Miguel beer. He returned to the store in June when he stole chicken breasts and pasta sauce.

Knuckle duster

Bradley was sentenced today after pleading guilty to possessing a bladed article in public and seven counts of theft.

The court heard he had 10 previous convictions for offences including possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence in 2014. His other convictions included carrying a knuckle duster, serious violence and drug offences.

Defence barrister Ashleigh Metcalfe said that Bradley had been binge-drinking and homeless during his four-month thieving spree.

Since the meat-cleaver incident, he had been trying to curb his drinking and drug-taking, which had been exacerbated by family bereavements.

But judge Simon Hickey said carrying a meat cleaver in public was such a serious offence that it had to be immediate custody.

The judge added that Bradley’s previous conviction for possessing a blade or offensive weapon meant he was liable to a minimum jail term as a “second-striker”.

Jailing Bradley for 11 months, Mr Hickey added:

“Anybody who carries a meat cleaver (must expect) an immediate custodial sentence, even though one was never taken out (of the defendant’s pocket).”

Bradley will serve half of the sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.

A young robber has been jailed for nearly four years after a vicious attack in Ripon in which the victim was punched repeatedly and forced to hand over money.

Ethan Anderson, 20, who has a track record of serious violence, pounced on the victim as he walked through Ripon city centre, York Crown Court heard.

Anderson, a drug addict, was with a group of youths sitting on a park bench, who hurled abuse at the man as he tried to walk away, said prosecutor Caroline Abraham.

Anderson confronted the victim, an Asian man who was named in court, and said: “You think you’re hard, do you?”

He punched the victim in the face and struck him in the eye, said Ms Abraham.

The victim tried to run away but fell over and Anderson punched him in the head while he was laid on the ground.

He finally managed to get away, but a short time later Anderson and three other males confronted him again in a car park near Ripon Cathedral. Ms Abraham said:

“(Anderson) walked towards him and demanded money. The defendant put his right hand into his pocket and gestured (as if) he had a weapon.”

Anderson told the victim: “Do you know what I’ve got in my pocket? Give me your money.”

“The victim handed over £20 to (Anderson), who did not have a weapon,” added Ms Abraham.

The victim suffered injuries including a swollen eye, bruising to his cheek and a grazed hand.

Anderson, who was addicted to cocaine, was arrested after the victim identified him about a month after the attack at around 9pm on June 27 last year.

Lock knife

On October 15, Anderson was arrested again after police were called out to a “domestic” incident in Ripon. Officers searched him and found a lock knife in his pocket.

On December 8, police were called out to North Street in Ripon, where Anderson was seen waving a tyre iron in the air during an altercation with another man outside the Wonderland bar.

Just before the incident, Anderson could be heard “shouting for an individual inside the bar, saying he was going to smash his head in”, said Ms Abraham.

“Another male approached the defendant and an altercation ensued. The defendant was brandishing a metal tyre iron and waving it at the male, shouting ‘Come on then!’”

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Anderson was arrested but denied affray and possessing an offensive weapon. He was found guilty of the charges following a trial at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court in June.

He ultimately admitted the robbery in the Ripon car park and also pleaded guilty to possessing the lock knife in a separate incident.

Anderson – from Ripon but of no fixed address – appeared for sentence on all charges via video link on Monday. The court heard he had 14 previous convictions for 26 offences, mainly violence and public disorder.

His rap sheet included two previous convictions for robbery, as well as possessing weapons.

‘Drugs were my escape’

Defence barrister John Batchelor said Anderson was now apologetic for his behaviour following a period of “forced abstinence” from drugs while remanded in custody.

Anderson, a father-of-one, had written a letter to the court saying, “I did unforgiveable things” and “drugs were my avenue of escape”.

“The cause of these offences was drugs,” added Mr Batchelor.

Judge Sean Morris said it was “time for a shot across (Anderson’s) bows” following his third robbery conviction. He told Anderson:

“You have an appalling record for somebody of your age. The robbery was a nasty robbery and it was on a man who was just walking through town.

“You pursued him and you fleeced him, threatening that you had a weapon.”

Jailing Anderson for three years and nine months, the judge told him he had been given “chance after chance and some lenient sentences (in the past) and they haven’t worked”.