A man charged with stabbing and robbing a taxi driver near Leyland has been transferred to a secure mental hospital pending a court decision on his sentence.
Phillip Dookie, 45, of Preston, appeared before a judge in Preston via a video link from prison on Tuesday, September 2. He faces charges of robbery, wounding, and possessing a knife.
Judge Andrew Jefferies KC adjourned the hearing until December, stating he needed more information from doctors regarding Dookie's mental health.
The court heard that the Home Secretary had ordered Dookie's transfer to a secure unit for treatment.
Dookie was arrested after a taxi driver reported being attacked and robbed in Buckshaw Village in February. Two co-defendants—a 37-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman—were also apprehended at the scene.
All three were charged with robbing the victim of £70 and a mobile phone. Dookie was also charged with Section 18 wounding with intent.
During the hearing, Judge Jefferies expressed his discomfort with sentencing Dookie after hearing he was reportedly suffering from a "treatment resistant form of paranoid schizophrenia."
The judge stated: "I would like one of the doctors to explain to me what that means."
Dookie had claimed he used the knife to protect his girlfriend from the driver.
The cabbie, who Dookie had made serious allegations about, had said his livelihood was now at stake because he was worried about going out to work at night.
The judge explained to Dookie: "I don’t know whether an appropriate sentence is a hospital order, a hospital order with restrictions, or prison. So in order to make an informed decision further reports have to be done."
Dookie was remanded in custody and is scheduled to reappear via video link for sentencing on December 3.
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