SHAME SHAME
HALIFAX CABBIE JAILED AFTER SELLING DRUGS TO BOOST HIS INCOME
A taxi driver who dealt drugs from his vehicle to boost his income has been jailed for 21 months. The Telegraph and Argus reports that Iftiqar Ali, who had been a licensed cabbie since 2017, was caught with a £10,570 stash of the Class C sleeping pills, Bradford Crown Court heard. Ali, 52, had Diazapam tablets in his hand after he was stopped by the police on Shay Lane in Halifax on February 28 last year. A search of his home turned up a stash of Diazapam, Etizolam and Tamaze- pam, prosecutor Imran Khan told the court. Ali, from Halifax, pleaded guilty to three offences of possessing Class C drugs with intent to supply. Mr Khan said his taxi was pulled over by
the police at 7.45pm because intelligence had been received that he may be drug dealing. Ali’s hand had to be prised open to reveal the
tablets and he shouted to another taxi driver in a language the police officers did not understand. Cash to the value of £530 was found in the vehicle. Ali had 14 previous convictions for 33 offences. They were driving offences and matters of dishonesty, the court heard, and all were many years ago. His barrister, Shufqat Khan said the father-of-three was deeply ashamed and regretful about what he had done.
‘COVID’ SPARES BELFAST CABBIE JAIL FOR DRIVING OFFENCE
A speeding taxi driver who claimed a friend was driving his car to avoid penalty points has been spared jail because of the current ‘global Coronavirus pandemic’. According to BelfastLive, Judge Neil Rafferty QC told Mar- tin Kelly on 24 March that this was ‘the only thing’ that saved him from jail for perverting the course of public justice. The Belfast Crown Court judge said that the law and courts regarded his crime so serious and regardless of offender, “from highest to lowest, from cabinet minister to taxi driver” a jail sentence was demanded. However, the pandemic presented courts with significant difficulties, not least public health considerations where sentenced prisoners must initially undergo two weeks isolation. Judge Rafferty told Kelly, from Belfast, he would instead suspend his six-month sentence for three years. Kelly, caught speeding in his Skoda taxi in December 2019, claimed a friend from Dublin was the driver but later admit- ted lying to avoid a fine and penalty points on his licence. Judge Rafferty said while quite shocking, he could only assume the reason behind the act was to save having to pay increased insurance premiums as a result.
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Ali had been a taxi driver since 2017 but that employment was now lost to him. He was a hard-working man and had obtained new work packing at a factory. He had caused his family great distress by his actions and had left home as a consequence, Mr Khan said. Recorder Taryn Turner told Ali it was a very serious matter that called for imme- diate custody. He was dealing in drugs as a sideline because he wasn’t making enough money from taxi driving. “Members of the public were exposed to the risk of you offering to supply them with drugs,” Recorder Turner said. The court is disgusted and horrified,” Recorder Turner said. She set a Proceeds of Crime Act timetable to decide how much Ali ben- efited from his drug dealing.
JERSEY CABBIE JAILED FOR POSSESSING INDECENT IMAGES
A taxi driver who downloaded almost 900 indecent images of chil- dren has been jailed for two and a half years by the Royal Court. The Jersey Evening Post reports that Ian Martyn Le Gallais, 53, admitted six counts of possessing and dis- tributing indecent images of children. The police investigation revealed a total of 893 images, of which 377 which classed a Category A – the most serious category. Le Gallais was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for seven years. A police spokesperson said: “The viewing and making of indecent images causes real harm to real children. It creates a market and demand for these types of pictures so leads to further abuse. “It is far from a victimless crime, the children in the pictures are real children, who suffer real harm. “The States of Jersey Police is committed to catching those who offend in this way and ensuring that they are put before the courts.”
APRIL 2021
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