A detective constable from the British Transport Police has said there is “no excuse” to carry a knife after a 20-year-old Stevenage man was jailed for seven years for stabbing a taxi driver.
As previously reported in the Comet, Dobgima Gwangwaa, of Swale Close, was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court last Wednesday after stabbing a taxi driver outside Stevenage railway station at around 4.05pm on Saturday, September 8.
Gwangwaa attacked the driver using a 12-inch kitchen knife – cutting him with deep wounds on the hand, thigh and shin.
Having asked the victim to take him to Baldock High Street, Gwangwaa was told he had to pay the fee upfront, but he refused and left the vehicle.
He slammed the door, and then threw a punch at the driver through the open window.
The victim got out his taxi and tried to calm the offender down alongside other colleagues.
It was at this point that the knife fell from Gwangwaa’s bag, which he picked up and stabbed the driver with. He was arrested close by and the weapon was found in a nearby bush.
Following the sentencing, Det Con Paula Bennett from the BTP has now issued a warning to anyone found carrying a knife.
“There is never a reasonable excuse for carrying weapons in public,” she said.
“When you are caught, you will arrested and brought before the courts. It’s never worth it so don’t do it.
“Gwangwaa is a violent person. He clearly thought nothing of threatening people with weapons to get what he wanted, and was even prepared to use them when things didn’t go his way.
“This long sentence certainly reflects the severity of his crimes.
“The victim’s stab wounds were severe. He was hospitalised and required surgery. While his injuries will heal the emotional effects of this attack will be long lasting.”
Gwangwaa was also linked to offences of criminal damage, affray, possessing an offensive weapon and theft following an incident in Letchworth on September 2, 2018.
He threatened another taxi driver with a rock hammer at Letchworth railway station, smashing the tailight of the man’s vehicle. He also stole crisps and sweets from a nearby shop.
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