IN THE NEWS
BOLTON CABBIE CONVICTED OF INDECENT ASSAULT 44 YEARS AGO LOSES LICENCE APPEAL
A Bolton cabbie convicted of indecently assaulting a four-year-old girl 44 years ago has lost an appeal to keep his private hire licence. The Bolton News reports that Mohammed Zabir was aged 14 when he was given a community sentence in 1977 after admitting the offence and when he first applied for a PH licence 25 years ago there was no requirement to declare spent convictions. However a series of policy changes meant that when Mr Zabir applied to renew his licence in 2019 the conviction was taken into consideration and a panel refused it on the grounds that he was not a “fit and proper person”. Magistrates refused his appeal against the decision and so he appealed further to Bolton Crown Court.
Malcolm Hope, for Bolton Council, told the court that policies about granting taxi licences have been tightened, particularly surrounding applicants who have previous convictions for sexual offences, in the wake of criticism levelled at Rotherham Council follow- ing a child exploitation scandal. “The safeguarding of the public is the paramount consideration. An applicant should not be given the benefit of the doubt,” said Mr Hope. “The most compelling mitigation for the appellant in this case would be the passage of time. But the risk of some- one with a conviction for a sexual offence has been considered too great.” The policy now states that an applicant who has any conviction for a sexual
offence will not be granted a licence unless there is and “exceptional, clear or compelling reason”. Mr Hope told the court that, in 1998 Mr Zabir lost his licence after being convicted of plying for hire, being uninsured and speeding, but he re- applied six months later and regained the licence, which he kept while the lat- est appeal process was underway. Roger Brown, representing Mr Zabir, argued that Bolton Council had not immediately revoked Mr Zabir’s licence over his indecent assault conviction, but had waited until he applied to renew the licence and there have been no complaints about his behaviour in the years he has worked as a driver, so proving he has been rehabilitated.
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