ELLIS: THUG FACING JAIL AFTER TAXI DRIVER’S HEROICS ENDED ROBBERY BID

A thug who was beaten up when he tried to rob a taxi driver at knifepoint is facing jail.

Kye Ellis, 33, lured Peter Antill towards a dead end before threatening to stab him unless he handed over money.

But the cabbie bravely fought back, sinking his teeth into Ellis’ left ear and punching him twice in the face.

Today at Snaresbrook Crown Court a jury convicted Ellis unanimously of attempted robbery.

The Judge, Ms Recorder Shirley Hales, remanded Ellis in custody ahead of sentencing on August 30.

She said: ‘I cannot sentence you today as I need a report that address whether or not you present a danger to the wider society.

‘But you will know this is a matter the court takes very seriously and a custodial sentence of some length is inevitable.’

During the three day trial prosecutor Nathan Palmer told the jury the attempted robbery had taken place at around 9.45pm on July 3, last year.

He said Ellis had got into Mr Antill’s cab near Waterloo Station and directed the driver to the ExCel centre in east London, but later ordered him to head for Moorey Close, in West Ham.

‘That road is a dead end,’ Mr Palmer told the jury. ‘When they arrived the driver stopped.

‘At this point the defendant jumped out of the back of the cab.

‘The driver looked in his wing mirror to his right hand side.

‘He saw the defendant and he saw that he had a knife in his right hand.

‘The driver tried to pull away but travelled only a matter of yards because of the dead end.

‘The defendant then reached into the driver’s window brandishing the knife towards the driver.

‘He said words to the effect of ”Give me your money or I will stab you.”’

Mr Palmer told the jury Ellis had pointed the knife at Mr Antill’s chest, but that the driver had managed to grab Ellis’ hand, causing the knife to scratch him on the wrist.

He continued: ‘The defendant put his head into the cab and bit the driver’s right wrist.

‘In response to being bitten the driver bit the defendant’s left ear as hard as he could.’

The court heard the two men grappled over the knife until it snapped in two and Ellis stumbled backwards, it was said.

Ellis then came at Mr Antill again and the driver retaliated by punching him twice in the face causing him to flee the scene empty handed, Mr Palmer told the jury.

The court heard that following the attempted robbery forensic experts found traces of Ellis’ DNA on the handle of the broken knife and in the bite wound left on Mr Antill’s wrist.

In interview Ellis told police he had been at his girlfriend’s home in Epsom, Surrey, before he travelled home at around 9pm.

Ellis, of no fixed abode, denied attempted robbery.

ENDS