A violent Greenhithe robber who posed as a police officer before throwing a brick through a lorry driver’s window has been jailed for over eight years.

Daniel Coates, 38, of Carlton Avenue, also attacked a taxi driver while an accomplice stole £50 in cash from his car.

Maidstone Crown Court heard how the offender and two other men had caught a taxi from outside a pub in Dartford town centre on July 19 last year.

One of the men is reported to have held a knife to the driver’s neck that caused him to stop the car and get out.

The same man is then alleged to have punched him in the face while wearing a knuckleduster, knocking several of his teeth out.

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Daniel Coates

Coates then exited the vehicle and began to punch the driver in the back of the head while the third man stole his money from inside the car.

Coates took the keys from the ignition but threw them back at the victim when he told him the car was fitted with a tracking device. He then ran away with the other men.

Three days later a lorry driver waiting for the Dartford Tunnel to open was woken by Coates banging on his door and claiming to be a police officer.

He refused to open up when the offender was unable to produce any identification, leading to him throwing a brick through the window that hit the driver on the leg.

Coates then told the man he wanted what was in the back of the lorry, but ran away when he realised he was calling the police.

Officers attended the scene and following a search of the local area found Coates drunk and covered in dirt and scratches that he could not provide a reasonable explanation for.

He was arrested and bailed but then re-arrested on August 26 last year when officers were able to link him to CCTV footage connected to the robbery of the taxi driver.

Coates was sentenced on Tuesday (July 19) to eight years and four months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of robbery - and being convicted following a trial for attempted robbery and impersonating a police officer.

Detective Constable Charlene Smith, part of the proactive investigation team based at Sittingbourne police station, said: “Daniel Coates is a dangerous individual who spares little thought for the victims of his crimes.

“He will clearly do whatever it takes to get his hands on items that do not belong to him.

“This includes attacking an innocent taxi driver and pretending to be a police officer to try and trick a lorry driver into opening his vehicle.

“I am pleased he has received a lengthy prison sentence so that the general public are safe from his vicious actions.”