A man who pretended to be a police officer to stop a taxi, then threatened to stab the occupants and blow up the car before stealing a designer watch, has been jailed for two years and six months. Jake Shields, aged 30, of Easter Way, Godstone, Surrey, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on 21 August 2026 after pleading guilty to robbery, attempted robbery and possession of cannabis.
It happened in the early hours of 8 February 2026. Shields pulled alongside a taxi in a white Vauxhall Corsa on Lingfield Road, Edenbridge, blocked it in, and told the driver and a passenger in his 20s that he was a police officer — asking the driver to kill the engine. He then threatened the occupants, telling them he would stab them and blow up the car. Fearing for his safety, the passenger handed over a Tissot Seastar watch, a birthday present from his parents for a notable birthday.
The Corsa had a distinctive black roof. That detail helped Kent Police trace and seize it — and inside they found both the stolen watch and Shields’ mobile phone. The vehicle was a hire car linked to Shields. Phone data placed him at the scene.
He was arrested at his Godstone home on 6 March 2026. In interview, Shields denied any involvement, describing himself as a hardworking family man and claiming extended relatives had taken the car without his knowledge to carry out the robbery. He later pleaded guilty after being confronted with the overwhelming evidence against him.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Nell Shortis said, according to Kent Police: “In interview, Shields vehemently denied his involvement in the crime and painted himself as a hardworking family man who would never dream of committing such a disgusting crime. He even accused extended family members of his wrongdoings. However, officers had worked diligently to secure evidence of the vehicle involved being Shields’ hire car, used phone data to place him at the scene of the crime, and found the reported stolen Tissot stashed in plain view in the central console of the hire vehicle.”
DC Shortis added that she was pleased the watch had been returned to its owner and hoped both victims would take some comfort from Shields now being behind bars.
The Tissot Seastar was recovered from the central console of the hire vehicle and returned to the passenger — a birthday gift, back where it belongs.