Posted on the 18th May 2026 in PHTM News
DRUNKEN PASSENGER PUTS KNIFE TO CABBIE’S THROAT IN TERRIFYING 'JOURNEY FROM HELL'
A taxi driver was subjected to a terrifying ordeal when a drunken passenger held a knife to his throat and grabbed the steering wheel of his moving vehicle.
Karl Cairns, 37, carried out the mid-journey assault while travelling from Filey to Scarborough on November 29, 2024.
Cairns, who has 89 previous offences on his record, got into the taxi carrying a box of alcohol, pulled out a knife, and asked the driver: "I’ve got a knife. Do you want me to stab you? Well, do you want to stab me?" When the driver pleaded that he was a family man, Cairns temporarily pocketed the weapon.
The journey quickly escalated into chaos along the A165. While the taxi was travelling at 50mph, Cairns opened the passenger door three separate times, hanging outside by the handle and shouting: "Do you want me to jump? I’m going to jump."
He later pulled the knife out again, holding it to the driver’s throat and then to his own throat.
As they approached Scarborough, Cairns suddenly grabbed the steering wheel and pulled it toward the kerb. The driver managed to wrestle back control of the vehicle before Cairns leaped out and fled, leaving the knife on the floor.
Cairns appeared at York Court Court on Friday, May 15, after pleading guilty to threatening a person with a blade and carrying a knife in public.
The court heard that Cairns suffers from mental disorders and substance misuse, and his behaviour was heavily affected by the prescription drug Pregabalin.
His defence barrister, Connor Stuart, noted that Cairns had since shown a "marked improvement" through community rehabilitation.
Judge Sean Morris described Cairns’s behaviour as "shocking" and stated he had originally intended to send him straight to prison.
However, citing a psychiatric report and Cairns's recent progress, the judge chose to defer sentencing for six months to see if Cairns could stay out of trouble and find a job to pay compensation to the victim.
Warning Cairns that "one misstep, and you will be locked up," the judge adjourned sentencing until November 13.
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