The Brantford Expositor reported on 3 November 2026 that Kane Robert Martin, 28, pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a dangerous weapon. The joint submission was 21 months in jail. With credit for time already served, he has 15 months left to serve. He had to provide a DNA sample and was ordered not to have weapons for the rest of his life.
The fare
In April, a driver picked him up at the Brantford police station. He held a knife to her throat. When she asked him to pay the fare of $17, he pricked her neck and demanded money. She refused to hand over any cash, got out of the vehicle and waved down a police officer at Market Street and Wellington Street. She gave police a description and noted that he was heading towards the bus terminal. He was arrested within minutes. A search turned up three folding knives. He was already on a probation order not to possess weapons.
In court
Justice Colette Good addressed him in these words. "You've escalated in violence and your willingness to use weapons against people. You're coming quite close to a penitentiary sentence."
The robbery attempt would have been traumatizing to the driver and might make her fearful to continue doing her job. It was aggravated by being a knife-point robbery, in the daytime, with the weapon at her neck.
"This is her livelihood. Cab drivers are not to be considered as easy marks."
Assistant Crown Russell Durward pointed to a previous record of thefts and theft-like charges, and described Martin as a person who is "armed and dangerous with weapons."
Mitigation
Eric Angevine, defending, described an extremely difficult upbringing. Martin's mother took him from Brantford as a young boy. He was severely neglected and lived for years in drug houses in Alberta. His Six Nations father went west and rescued Martin and his brother. The judge had heard that account when she sentenced him previously. She put the sentence in these words. "You had a difficult life growing up ... but the court needs to sentence you in a way that you get the message this behaviour is not going to be tolerated."
The joint submission of 21 months was low but still within the range, and took that upbringing into account.