A TAXI passenger grabbed his driver by the neck and held a syringe to his throat.

The customer brandished a hypodermic needle during a robbery in Abingdon last week, in which he stole £200. 

The taxi driver had given a lift to the man in the early hours of the morning from The Square to Boxhill Walk, on Sunday, September 24.

After pulling over and discussing the fare the passenger, who had been sat behind the driver, grasped his victim’s throat and held a needle to it.

The ordeal unfolded at 1.24am, ending in the robber snatching cash and fleeing towards Wootton Road. 

Thames Valley Police said prior to getting in the taxi, the man walked up Bath Street from Stratton Way and stood around for several minutes. 

Appealing for witnesses, the force described the robber as slim, white and about 5ft 7 ins tall, with stubble and ‘an untidy appearance’.

He had dark hair and was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. 

The taxi was a grey Renault Master van, which is registered on Vale of White Horse District Council’s website to Vargas. 

An employee of the Abingdon-based taxi company confirmed the robbery involved a colleague, but did not want to comment further. 

Abingdon taxi driver Colin Dobson has previously raised safety concerns about customers, in his column for the Oxford Mail’s sister paper the Herald.

Speaking in reaction to the robbery, he said: “It’s a very sobering thing to hear of. It shows exactly how vulnerable we are to random members of the general public. 

“Some vehicles have perspex shields but the vast majority [in Abingdon] have saloon cars, in which we are at the whim of members of the public.”

Anyone with information can call 101, quoting reference number 43170283021.