A man has been jailed after robbing a taxi driver of his vehicle at knifepoint in Sandbach.

Daniel Eckersley, also known as "Daniel Brein" and "Daniel Bryan", appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday (6 March), where he was sentenced to six years and eight months' imprisonment.

The 39-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to robbery, possession of a knife in a public place, drink driving, and driving without insurance.

The court heard that at around 9.51pm on 6 December 2025, an unknown man knocked on the door of an address in the Dragon's Lane area of Moston and asked the occupant to order him a taxi.

The man was under the influence of alcohol at the time and left the address when the taxi arrived. Moments later, the woman heard screaming from outside. Looking out of the window, she saw the man punching the taxi driver.

During the violent confrontation, the man managed to take control of the vehicle and drove away from the scene in the direction of Middlewich.

The woman contacted Cheshire Police to report the incident. Shortly afterwards, the taxi driver also called officers, saying he had been the victim of a robbery and had been stabbed in the leg by the passenger.

Officers were deployed to the scene and located the vehicle less than three miles from where it had been stolen. A knife was found inside the passenger footwell.

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The taxi driver confirmed that the man who attacked him had been wearing a grey tracksuit and a baseball cap. Officers began searching the area for a suspect matching that description.

Forty minutes after the initial incident, officers from the Constabulary's Firearms Unit were stopped by a member of the public who said a man matching the description had been seen around 15 minutes earlier at a pub in Middlewich.

Enquiries established that a man fitting the suspect's description entered the premises at 10.17pm, left shortly afterward, and then headed to another nearby pub.

Less than an hour after the initial robbery, at 10.45pm, an officer from the Constabulary's Roads and Crime Unit spotted the man and approached him. The intoxicated man identified himself as Daniel Bryan.

A breath test revealed that Eckersley was over three times the legal limit, and he was arrested on suspicion of drink driving. It was subsequently confirmed that he was also wanted for a robbery in Greater Manchester, and he was further arrested for this offence.

Following his arrest, detectives retrieved two SD cards from the stolen taxi's dashcams. The footage showed Eckersley threatening the driver and stabbing him in the leg.

Eckersley, of Little Hutton, Worsley in Salford, was later charged. He provided no-comment answers to all questions during interview.

Detective Constable Vickie Wallace said: "No one should go to work expecting to go through such a terrifying situation as the one Daniel Eckersley subjected his victim to in December of last year.

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"We may never know Eckersley's motivation for threatening an unsuspecting taxi driver and stealing his vehicle, but it was undoubtedly fuelled by the considerable amount of alcohol he had consumed.

"This case highlights the importance of having dashcams in your vehicle, especially if you are involved in taxi services or any occupation that requires engaging with the public for long periods.

"The footage from the dashcams — capturing Eckersley's initial threats, the stabbing, and the theft of the vehicle — was vital evidence that helped us secure this sentence."

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