Posted on the 2nd April 2026 in PHTM News

DRUG-FUELLED CRIME SPREE ENDS IN NINE YEAR SENTENCE FOR STOKE KNIFEMAN WHO ROBBED CABBIE

A 31-year-old man has been jailed after a terrifying afternoon rampage across Stoke-on-Trent where he robbed a taxi driver, goods from a petrol station, and a shopping centre worker while armed with a blade.

Joshua Woolley was handed an extended sentence of nine years and four months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court after pleading guilty to three robberies and three counts of possessing a knife in public.

The chaos began on October 23 when Woolley hopped into a taxi, reached forward to disable the internal camera, and pulled a knife from his waistband.

The prosecutor, Bob Sastry, told the court that the driver was so scared he fled the vehicle, later stating in a victim impact report that "he felt trapped in the car and he was very worried about what was going to happen." 

Woolley chased the cabbie demanding more money before stealing the taxi. He then drove to an Asda petrol station, where he filled a basket with items and threatened an employee with a knife to force his way out of the locked doors.

The spree ended at The Potteries Centre in Hanley, where Woolley targeted a woman at a kiosk.

He grabbed two necklaces around her neck with such force that he choked her before the jewellery snapped. While the "necklaces, worth about £2,000, were recovered in a damaged state," the judge noted they held significant sentimental value.

Defending lawyers argued that Woolley was "emotionally unstable" and had a limited memory of the crimes because he had taken large amounts of unprescribed medication.

However, Judge Graeme Smith described the robberies as "extremely serious," noting the lasting psychological damage caused to his victims.

Referring to the first attack, the judge told Woolley: "You threatened a taxi driver with a knife and we have heard of the significant impact it had on him." 

Woolley must now serve at least two-thirds of his seven-year and four-month prison term before being considered for release on an extended licence.


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