Serial taxi vandal jailed after repeated attacks on Newcastle cabs
- Perry Richardson
- Apr 3
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 6
A man who repeatedly targeted taxi drivers and their vehicles across Tyneside has been jailed following a joint investigation involving police and local partners.
Tony Hall, 36, carried out a series of attacks in the Heaton, Jesmond, Fenham and West End areas of Newcastle. He routinely smashed car windows and stole items, leaving drivers and operators with repair costs and disruption to services.
In response, Northumbria Police worked closely with Newcastle City Council’s licensing team. The force held meetings with taxi drivers and distributed crime prevention advice aimed at reducing the impact of Hall’s actions.
Officers also worked with the Probation Service and a housing charity in a wider attempt to manage and limit Hall’s criminal behaviour.
Hall was arrested and charged with theft, fraud and possession of crack cocaine. He appeared at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on 20 March and was sentenced to 32 weeks in prison after pleading guilty.
Alongside the jail term, a Criminal Behaviour Order was imposed. On his release, Hall will be banned from entering Heaton and Jesmond for two years.
He is also prohibited from touching any vehicle without permission, covering his face in public, or carrying wood, stones or sticks — items he has previously used to damage vehicles.
Any breach of these conditions could result in further arrest and imprisonment.
Inspector Anita Morgan, of Northumbria Police’s Newcastle Area Command, said: “We are very pleased to have secured this order against Tony Hall, who has persistently offended in the city.
“He has caused misery for a number of victims which is why we have carried out a wide-ranging investigation into his criminality.
“To put it bluntly, he has completely exhausted all chances he has been offered to turn this behaviour around. Instead of taking the opportunities presented to him to work with ourselves and partners, Hall has continued to cause a nuisance and repeatedly break the law – at the expense of residents and businesses.
“No-one deserves to have to put up with this type of behaviour while going about their day-to-day lives and our hope is that now these measures have been put in place we can manage Hall’s offending more effectively.
“If you do see Hall somewhere he shouldn’t be, then please get in touch.”
Insp Morgan added: “I’d like to thank our partners, victims and members of the public for their assistance with our investigation, which has undoubtedly helped us to achieve this positive outcome.
“Our officers have worked tirelessly on this case and it’s testament to those efforts that we have now have an order in place upon someone who has been a menace to our community.
“I’d also take this opportunity to remind members of the public to always leave their vehicles and addresses securely locked and remove any valuables whatsoever from inside. Often, opportunist thieves will try handles but on finding that they are not open move on to another area.
“If you have been a victim of crime or have information about suspicious activity, please let us know so that we can build on our intelligence picture and take the appropriate action.”
