Taxi driver stole drunk fare's phone and went on £1,500 spending spree

A taxi driver took advantage of a drunk client by stealing his mobile phone and using it to buy a wave of expensive items.

Edward Marshman preyed on his customer who was on his way home from a gig at O2 Academy Liverpool on two occasions throughout the £50 ride before leaving with his iPhone. He proceeded to use the victim's Apple Pay app to go on a £1,500 shopping spree.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday, April 16, how Andrew Gibson attended a concert on December 1, 2022, to watch the Reytons play. He was described as being "very intoxicated" at the time and soon left to go to the bathroom when the "next thing he was aware of" was being driven home by Marshman in his taxi, the Liverpool Echo reports.

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Sarah Gruffyd, prosecuting, described how Gibson paid his £50 fare through Apple Pay on his phone after getting safely to his home on Mill Lane in St Helens. However, Marshman, of Pirrie Road, Walton, "told him that the transaction had not gone through and asked him to pass him his phone".

After Gibson handed over the device, Marshman "shouted at him to get out of his taxi" and drove off. The victim awoke the next morning, realising what had happened to him.

Meanwhile, the thief used the phone to make 13 separate fraudulent transactions, equating to £1,568. Among the purchases was a second £50 fee for the journey, a purchase from Tesco, two Polaroid TVs, a pair of Adidas trainers, a Ninja blender, a pair of headphones, alcohol, and a meal from McDonald's.

However, the taxi fair paid into an account that was under Marshman's name and the 49-year-old was caught on CCTV purchasing the goods. Police officers attended his home on