A thief armed with a HEDGETRIMMER jailed for injuring and robbing taxi driver

A thief who armed himself with a hedgetrimmer to commit robbery has been jailed.

Edmund Brazil, from Canterbury, threatened and injured a taxi driver with the garden tool in Faversham before stealing his bag in July 2019. He also broke into three homes in three days in Sittingbourne in August 2019.

The 40-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary, one count of robbery and one count of being in possession of an offensive weapon at Maidstone Crown Court. He was sentenced to six years and four months in prison on Friday 17 April 2020.

On the morning of 24 July 2019, after using the services of a taxi driver, Brazil got out of the car in Lower Road, Faversham and went to the boot of the vehicle where he had stowed the hedgetrimmer. On the pretence of going to get money to pay for the fare, he went around the corner and started up the garden tool.

Upon his return, he broke the window of the taxi with the hedgetrimmer and pushed it through the window, threatening the driver with it. The victim received cuts to his hand as he tried to protect himself, and Brazil leant into the vehicle and stole a bag containing a quantity of cash.

Two weeks later Brazil went on to commit a series of burglaries in Sittingbourne.

Between 5 and 7 August last year, he knocked on the front doors of properties in Windmill Road, Roberts Close and Woollett Road and asked for a glass of water before entering and subsequently stealing from the residents. On two of these occasions he forced his way into the properties.

CCTV evidence and witness identification later linked Brazil to the robbery and the burglaries and he was arrested.

Officer in charge of the case, PC Ben Shove of North Kent CID said: “Brazil is a dangerous offender who was prepared to use violence in order to steal from others.

“As well as undertaking a terrifying attack on a taxi driver, on two other occasions he assaulted residents in order to force his way into their homes.

“Thankfully justice has been served and he can no long pose a threat to the Swale community.”

Image credit: Kent Police