A MAN has been jailed for four-and-a-half years for assaulting a taxi driver.

The driver picked up Stephen Small, aged 22, and another man in Stourbridge town centre and drove the them to a nearby petrol station on February 3, 2017.

They asked to be taken to Small’s address on Hallchurch Road, Dudley, but on arrival they refused to pay the full fare.

Stephen Small then launched an attack on the 44-year-old taxi driver, stole his PDA device, took money from his pocket, and even tried to set the taxi on fire.

A passer-by witnessed the assault and called police.

An investigation was launched, and CCTV identified Small as the prime suspect and he was subsequently arrested and charged with robbery.

He was sentenced on April 2 after being found guilty.