SHAME SHAME
CARDIFF DRIVER JAILED FOR SEX ASSAULT ON PASSENGER
A taxi driver who sexu- ally assaulted a student as he drove her home has been jailed for six years. A judge at Cardiff Crown Court passed sentence last month on registered cabbie Abdul Basit, three months after he had been con- victed by a jury.
Married Basit, 36, from Grangetown, had de- nied the victim’s allega- tions and claimed it was she who had made a pass at him as she did not have the £5 fare. The South Wales Echo
reports that during the trial, the 21-year-old woman broke down in tears when it was sug- gested to her that she offered him sexual favours in exchange for payment.
His story was rejected by 11 out of 12 jurors, who found him guilty by majority verdict. The student was alone when she got into his cab just a day after moving into her Cardiff digs last September. She described how Basit suddenly kissed her and put his hand
under her clothing as he pulled up near her house in September last year.
When someone came along she said he drove off and assault- ed her again.
“This was serious offending and a great breach of trust, when you were a taxi driver,” the Recorder of Cardiff, Nicholas Cooke QC, told him. “There has to be a significant sen- tence.”
Basit’s name has been put on the Sex Offend- ers’ Register.
DONCASTER DRIVER RAN OVER CUSTOMER WHO REFUSED TO PAY
A taxi driver ran over a passenger and push- ed another out of his cab when a customer was sick in his vehicle. Mansoor Ulhaq has escaped jail but has lost his livelihood after a judge told him that his actions, which saw a customer fall out of his vehicle, could have seen someone killed. According to the Don- caster Free Press, the 28-year-old was taking a man and a woman to Armthorpe when the man, who appeared to be drunk, was sick, Doncaster Crown Court heard.
Ulhaq pulled up in a lay-by and refused to
let the pair out until they paid £55 so he could clean his cab. Richard Sheldon, prosecuting, said the man tried to leave the vehicle by climbing out of the window. As he was halfway out Ulhaq drove off, throw- ing him from the taxi. He then proceeded to drive over the man’s hip and leg.
Ulhaq continued to drive with the woman in the back of the vehicle. Mr Sheldon said the woman was “hysteri- cal” and asked where she was going Ulhaq said that he would take her where he wanted to take her.”
Ulhaq, from Doncast- er, who had been a taxi driver all his working life, pulled over and got into the back seat of the cab.
Mr Sheldon added: “There was an argu- ment about money and when some money was paid over the defendant pushed her out of the cab and onto her hands.” Ulhaq pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and assault. He received 50 weeks’ jail suspended for 18 months, 180 hours of unpaid work and was tagged for 28 days. The defendant was also banned from driving for 12 months.
GLOUCESTER CABBIE WOMAN £48,000 BENEFITS CHEAT
The woman boss of a bus and taxi company was jailed for nine months for cheating the state.
Gail Hamblin, 40, claimed she was earn- ing just £25.35 a week. In reality, her firm Atlas Travel and Private Hire, had a £256,501.90 annual contract with Gloucestershire Coun- ty Council, as well as a number of other con- tracts, prosecutor Nick O’Brien said.
Hamblin, from Gloucester, admitted eight charges of mak-
ing false repres- entation to Gloucester City Council to obtain benefits between Sep- tember 2001 and November 2009. Mr O’Brien told Gloucester Crown Court the total Hamblin obtained in housing and council tax benefit was £48,345.25. “She made applica- tions for benefits on the basis that she was a single parent of one child and her only income was from self employed taxi driv- ing,” said Mr O’Brien.
“She said she had a very limited income from her business - £25 to £35, despite the large amounts going into her accounts, including lucrative contracts.”
Phillip Wright, benefit fraud and recovery service manager at the city council, said: “We are pleased with the outcome but this case is not concluded. She has a responsibility upon her release from prison to repay the sums she has dishon- estly obtained.”
PAISLEY CABBIE NICKED FUEL WORTH £1,000
A crooked cabbie helped himself to more than £1,000 worth of fuel after sticking stolen registration plates on his car. Steven Dickson made 19 visits to petrol sta- tions across the Paisley area over a 12- month period to fill up his tank before speed- ing off without paying. However, on each occasion, the dozy driver left a “calling card” for police to fol-
low...after failing to change the reg plate on the back of his cab. According to the Pais- ley Daily Express, Paisley Sheriff Court heard how 33-year-old
Dickson stole fuel in amounts ranging between £40 and £70. In total, he pinched £1,027 worth of diesel before he was finally snared. Police had received various reports from garage staff that the same silver Vectra had been filmed dashing away as the driver left without paying.
On the first occasion, detectives went to the home of the registered keeper of the number plate seen attached to the front of the car and were satisfied that the plate had been stolen. CCTV tapes revealed that Dickson was the
person responsible. Once Dickson had been traced and ques- tioned, he admitted his guilt and immediately handed back the taxi licence he had held for five years.
He admitted forming a fraudulent scheme to obtain fuel from serv- ice stations without paying.
Dickson was told to repay all of those he had fraudulently ob- tained fuel from through a compensation order for £1,027 and was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community as a direct alternative to imprisonment.
PAGE 42
PHTM JULY 2011
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88
