A PROLIFIC offender who caused widespread issues in Harlow – including drug dealing and a sustained assault on a taxi driver – has been jailed.

Jordan Reilly, 23, appeared in court last week to be sentenced for a range of offences spanning the past four years.

In August 2020, Reilly was with a group who were picked up in a taxi from a pub in Harlow.

Reilly was verbally abusive towards the taxi driver, resulting in the group being asked to leave the vehicle.

The verbal abuse and aggression continued.

Reilly proceeded to assault the taxi driver, punching him repeatedly and kicking him once he fell to the floor.

Other taxi drivers arrived on the scene after the victim set off a panic alarm. Officers also arrived and provided support to the victim.

An area search was conducted for Reilly and he was located that night.

He matched a description given at the scene and his shoe was recovered from the taxi.

Reilly proceeded to throw water over an officer once in custody.

He was charged with and denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm, appearing for trial at Chelmsford Crown Court in September this year.

He was convicted by a jury and appeared for sentence at the same court on Wednesday 18 December.

He was further sentenced for assaulting an emergency worker, possessing a knife in public in Harlow in January 2023, and for being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

Reilly, now of Church Lane, Bishops Stortford, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

Reilly was identified and pursued by officers as a prolific offender under Clear, Hold, Build – a Home Office-backed project aimed at addressing underlying issues affecting the community in The Stow, Harlow.

This work has so far seen the arrest of more than 20 people linked to drug dealing and gang violence in the area.

Inspector Leanne Archer said: “Although these offences dated back some time, Reilly’s denial of the awful assault he committed saw a lengthy wait for a trial.

“A jury saw through his lies and he was rightly convicted of his part in an unprovoked attack on a hard-working taxi driver.

“We were determined to build solid cases against Reilly and ensure he received a prison sentence.

“Taking offenders like him off the streets of The Stow, and wider Harlow, has been a priority running throughout Clear, Hold, Build.

“It’s really important the law-abiding community in Harlow continue to tell us about offending like drug dealing and anti-social behaviour.

“Drug dealing is inextricably linked to serious violence and other types of crime including robbery and shoplifting.

“The more we know, the more we can do to keep the community safe from this type of offending.”