A PASSENGER racially abused a taxi driver, threatened him with a knife and told him he would kill him, a court heard.

Charles Brown visited the taxi company the following day and told another member of staff there to tell the driver he would kill him.

Yesterday Brown, aged 31, of Bradford Avenue, Bolton, was jailed for nine months when he appeared at Bolton Crown Court for sentence for causing fear of violence with racial aggravation and going equipped to steal.

Prosecutor Alaric Bassano said that taxi driver Niaz Mohammed picked up Brown from Bolton town centre and took him to an address in Breightmet.

When he got there Brown said he had no money and Brown's friends caused a minor disturbance outside the address.

He asked to be taken to another house but refused the driver's request to leave his jacket as deposit for the fare.

The driver then took him back to Bolton but Brown became racially abusive and produced a knife claiming he had attacked a taxi driver in Deane and that he had killed a club doorman.

The taxi driver went to Bolton Police Station but there was no-one behind the counter and when he came out Brown was still threatening him with the knife.

He drove off but the next day Brown went to the taxi firm and told another member of staff to tell the driver that he would kill him.

On December 15 police officers saw Brown crouching down behind a lorry. When they arrested him they found tubing which smelled of diesel and eight five gallon cans.

Brown, who was wearing gloves, denied having anything to do with the offence and claimed that two other men had run away before the police arrived.

Defending, Paul Humphries said that Brown had been to prison on 14 occasions and that he was in danger of becoming institutionalised.

He urged the judge to consider keeping Brown on a probation order with which he was co-operating and responding well.

Recorder Richard Brittain said that taxi drivers had to be protected from people like him who instead of paying threatened violence.