Two yobs who went on a violent crime spree in which a taxi driver was robbed and a student threatened with a knife have been jailed.

One of the men - Margate resident Luke Tudor - even had his children with him when he and his accomplice Kieran Martin forcefully stole alcohol from a shopper's trolley as it was pushed along the street.

Canterbury Crown Court heard one of the youngsters urged the 36-year-old dad to leave the victims alone.

But within hours Tudor and Martin, 30, were targeting cabbie Burham Sinani, who was headbutted, chased and robbed of his takings, and his vehicle damaged and ransacked.

Mr Sinani was so scared that he sought refuge in a nearby pharmacy, only for the threats to continue. Staff later told police they feared the driver "would be murdered".

At the time, Martin was on court bail for robbing a schoolboy at knifepoint of his Nike jacket, trainers and iPhone.

The court heard he had accosted the student in a Broadstairs park at night, held a blade to his neck and, once his demands had been met, sinisterly ordered the terrified victim to "run for his life".

Now the thugs have been handed prison sentences totalling more than 10 years, despite a judge acknowledging the adverse impact custody would have on Tudor's children.

Martin, of Millmead Road, Margate, admitted two offences of robbery, possessing a bladed article, theft, affray and criminal damage.

Tudor, of Thanet Road in the town, pleaded guilty to robbery, assault causing actual bodily harm, theft and criminal damage.

Prosecutor Caroline Knight said Martin and an unnamed man had confronted the student while he was with friends at St Peter's Recreation Ground at about 9.30pm on May 4, 2021.

Having talked about "looking for someone to rob", Martin demanded they "empty their pockets", she told the court, before pulling out the knife "to ensure they complied".

"The victim handed over his phone and started to back away. This drew the defendant's attention and so the victim's friends took the opportunity to make their escape," explained Ms Knight.

"The victim was told to call them back but they did not return and so the defendant placed the knife against the student's neck and told him to hand over his coat and trainers.

"Having done so, he was told to run for his life and he sprinted across the field."

Martin and his accomplice were then seen leaving the park, dumping the trainers on their way. The sports jacket, worth £56, and £300 phone were never recovered, however.

Martin was arrested, charged and appeared in court in November that year.

But having initially denied robbery and the knife offence, he was on bail when he and Tudor robbed and assaulted Mr Sinani on March 17, 2022.

The court heard the pair had spent the evening "drinking heavily" together when they spotted two men pushing a trolley home and asked for a beer.

When the request was refused, Tudor - who was accompanied by two of his children - told Martin to "just take it", said Ms Knight.

"One of the victims immediately put his hand up in response but despite that show of surrender, he was shoved to the side and both defendants took drinks from the trolley.

"One of the children, who called one of the defendants 'Dad', asked them to leave the men alone."

The thugs headed off towards Thanet Road but less than two hours later, and now without the youngsters, they climbed into Mr Sinani's taxi and demanded he take them "to buy drugs", continued the prosecutor.

The cab driver refused and said he was not working but that he would drive them to Central Pharmacy as he needed to collect a prescription.

Both Tudor and Martin were described as being argumentative and drunk and, once at their destination, reluctant to get out.

But having done so, Tudor then headbutted Mr Sinani as he stood at the rear of his Mercedes, causing what was described as "a nasty black eye".

In an effort to defend himself, he chased the pair with a stick, but they soon "turned the tables", continued the prosecutor.

"They pursued Mr Sinani into the pharmacy where he took cover behind the till. They were aggressive and threatening - Tudor more so - and threatening to kill him," she told the court.

"Employees at the pharmacy said they thought Tudor was 'going to murder' the taxi driver."

The thugs left the store and went back to the cab, pulling a door back so hard that it was damaged, and ransacked the vehicle, stealing a pencil case containing his day's earnings.

They also continued to threaten Mr Sinani and left the car with its SatNav ripped out, a shoeprint on a window, and the cabbie's glasses broken.

He later told police that it was the third time he had been the victim of such crime in his six years driving.

But the court heard when asked recently to make a further statement for the sentencing hearing, Mr Sinani declined, saying he felt proceedings had "gone on too long" and he did not wish "to dwell on it".

The victim of the knifepoint robbery however described how he "froze in terror", and still felt its impact almost three years later.

He told police: "I cannot get out of my head what could have happened. I constantly go over it in my mind and think about what I could have done differently.

"I also think about how close I came to being stabbed and ending up dead or seriously injured in hospital.

"It still plays on my mind and I keep going back to the point when I felt the blade at the back of my neck and remembering the terror I felt.

"I still remember the face of the man and I will never forget. I promise myself I will never let something like this happen to me again.

"I hope no one else is put in the same position as I was and the court will do everything in its power to ensure this man cannot hurt anyone else for as long as possible."

Sentencing Martin and Tudor on Wednesday (January 17), Judge Simon James said only immediate imprisonment could be justified for the "gratuitous" robbery of the taxi driver and the "particularly cowardly" attack on the student.

Martin, who has previous convictions for assault, battery and criminal damage, was jailed for a total of seven-and-a-half years.

Tudor, whose past offending has included burglary, theft, battery and assault, was locked up for two years and nine months.

Craig Evans, defending Martin, said time spent on remand had enabled him to "reflect on his self-inflicted downfall".

Kerry Waitt, defending Tudor, had urged the court to spare him prison, saying the dad had "not just for his own sake but also for his children" managed to address three particular problems in his life - housing, benefits and his mental health.