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A Belfast man who punched, headbutted and threatened to stab a taxi driver during a robbery has been sent to jail.

Dean Martin William Brown attacked the driver outside Connswater Shopping Centre in January 2023 when he was asked to pay a fare for his journey.

Belfast Crown Court heard the victim suffered damage to four teeth when he was headbutted in the mouth.

Brown, 38, of Chamberlain Street in Belfast, was given a five-and-a-half year sentence.

Half will be spent in prison and half on licence.

The judge told him: "This was a nasty and shocking offence carried out against a wholly blameless individual simply going about his day's work."

The defendant, who has 54 previous convictions, denied involvement at first but later pleaded guilty to robbery.

The court was told that Brown was picked up as a passenger on 21 January 2023 and was taken to the shopping centre in east Belfast.

On arrival, the taxi driver asked for payment but Brown grabbed him by his jacket and punched him in the face.

Brown then threatened to stab the driver, although no weapon was produced.

The defendant then headbutted the victim and stole coins from the car, along with the driver's work phone and identification card.

Police were able to trace the victim's mobile phone and officers were sent to an address where they found the stolen items.

Following his arrest, Brown answered "no comment" to all questions asked by police.

The court heard Brown claimed to have no recollection of the robbery due to his drink and drug intake, but later expressed feelings of regret and embarrassment for his actions.

A defence barrister said his client had realised that drugs had blighted his life and now accepted he needed to make "very very significant changes in his outlook and lifestyle".

The judge acknowledged that Brown had an "unsettled childhood" and mental health issues which were compounded by his drug misuse.

But he also spoke of the vulnerabilities of small businesses and lone workers such as taxi drivers.

"They provide vital services and yet are easy, as this case demonstrates, to rob - and the only protection they have is from the sentences imposed upon people who rob them," the judge added.