…SHAME SHAME
STRIP CLUB ROW LIVERPOOL TAXI DRIVER ATTACKS PASSENGER WITH WHEEL BRACE
A taxi driver at- tacked a passenger with a wheel brace in an argument over a trip to a lap danc- ing club. The Liverpool Echo reports that black cab driver Joseph Jones, 36, took a fare from Alex Hew- itt and his friends including Cumbrian police officers. Jones claimed they asked to be taken to a strip joint so he drove them to Rude Gentlemen’s Club. Liverpool Crown Court heard the vic- tim’s group caught the taxi in the early
hours of February 3 last year. David Polglase, pro- secuting, said the group, who had been drinking since 10pm, were asked to pay £20 for the journey. However, when they got out they realised they had been taken to the strip club and Mr Hewitt chal- lenged the driver and refused to pay. Mr Hewitt and other witnesses alleged Jones punched Mr Hewitt - who got out last - through his driver’s window. However,
John
Rowan, defending, said footage taken from two cameras did not support that account. The dispute escalat- ed when Mr Hewitt punched Jones, before the driver got out and broke his arm with the weapon. Mr Hewitt was taken to Royal Liverpool Hospital with a frac- tured right arm, which required a plaster cast and sling. He declined to make a victim state- ment. Later that day, police went to
Jones’ home, arrest- ed him and re- covered the metal bar, which measured about 60cm long. Jones, from Pres- cot, made no comment, but in a second interview when shown some CCTV accepted it was him. Mr Polglase said: “He said they asked to be taken to a strip club, that they were abusive and taking drugs during the journey.” Jones said it felt like he was attacked by the whole group, but later accepted it
SCUNTHORPE TAXI DRIVER DENIED LICENCE AFTER FORGING DOCUMENTS
A Scunthorpe taxi driver’s application to renew her licence was refused after she forged docu- ments and put passengers at risk. Christine Vipurs’ bid to renew her HC/PH driver’s li- cence was turned down by North Lin- colnshire Council’s licensing sub-com- mittee last year after she submitted a supporting docu- ment that had been illegally doctored. Now,
Grimsby
Crown Court has upheld the decision of the licensing authority to refuse the renewal of the
licence following an appeal. The council said after considering all of the evidence, the sub-committee con- sidered the appli- cant to ‘not be a fit and proper person to hold such a licence’ and refused the application. A statement by the authority said the document related to the testing of Mrs Vipurs’ lifting equip- ment for disabled passengers. Legislation requires that passenger lifts are thoroughly ex- amined every six months, warning that “failures in pas-
FEBRUARY 2020
senger lifts can result in significant or fatal injuries”. Mrs Vipurs’ altered document suggest- ed that the in- spection of her equipment was valid for 18 months, rather than the statutory six months, and it bore the same reference num- ber as the support- ing documents from her licence renewal the year before. Cllr Keith Vickers, chair of the licens- ing sub-committee, said: “It was clear that the document Mrs Vipurs submit- ted for her ap- plication had been
tampered with. “It is worrying that someone would avoid such checks when they are nec- essary to keep the public safe. Forging the document in this way put vulner- able people at risk, so her licence re- newal was refused.” Mrs Vipurs appeal- ed the council’s decision at Grimsby Magistrates’ Court, where the court upheld the deci- sion. A further appeal was then lodged by Mrs Vipurs to Grimsby Crown Court, where again the council’s decision was upheld.
was only Mr Hewitt. Mr Polglase said: “He said he hadn’t intended to hurt the victim and hadn’t been aiming at his head or anything like that.”
Jones has 14 previ- ous convictions for 25 offences, includ- ing driving matters, criminal damage, public disorder and possessing can- nabis. He was convicted of supplying drugs in 2005, dangerous driving in 2010, and criminal damage and common as- sault in 2012. Judge Stuart Driver, QC, said: “The local authority has to decide that some- one is a fit and proper person be- fore
granting
someone a taxi licence, don’t they?” He added: “I don’t know the detail of their procedure but to a lay person, it looks a bit surpris- ing that this person was given a taxi licence.” Jones, formerly of Tudor Avenue, Huy- ton , denied causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent but admitted causing GBH, which prosecutors accept- ed.
Mr Rowan said Jones - who lost his taxi licence and job - had stayed out of trouble since 2012 for the sake of his partner and two young children.
Judge Driver told Jones: “This case has changed. You must now be sen- tenced on the basis that the first vio- lence that hap- pened that night occurred when the passenger - who was standing out- side the vehicle - punched you in the face through a win- dow, as you sat in your cab. “That was a provo- cation and you would not have got out of your taxi if that hadn’t hap- pened, but you overreacted and left the cab and took a weapon with you. “You hit his arm with a wheel brace. You did not intend to cause serious injury, but he suf- fered a break to a bone in his fore- arm.” The judge said Jones had been out of trouble for eight years, references said he had changed his life, and he had “lost his livelihood”. Judge Driver said the sentence would be “reduced due to the provocation” and he could spare Jones jail “because of the strong per- sonal mitigation and the impact that prison would have upon others”.
He handed him nine months in jail, sus- pended for 18 months, plus 140 hours’ unpaid work.
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