FIT AND PROPER
LEICESTER CABBIE TAKING PREGNANT WOMAN TO HOSPITAL RAN OVER WOMAN LYING IN ROAD
A pedestrian drunkenly lying in the road was run over and killed by a taxi driver who failed to see her. The Leicester Mercury reports that Anis Mohamed, 64, from Leicester, admitted causing Miss Baker’s death by careless driving, in the early hours of Saturday January 11 last year. David Outterside, prosecuting, said: “At 4am the defendant’s Vauxhall Vivaro seven-seater drove over the victim who was lying intoxicated in the road. “Shortly before 4am an ambulance driver saw the victim staggering on the footpath in Coleman Road, looking as if she was drunkenly heading home from an evening out. “An Uber driver also saw her on the footpath, she held up her hands and he slowed, not knowing what she was doing. She walked into the road gestur- ing with her hands telling him to ‘go away and turn around’. “The defendant was behind the Uber, taking a man and his wife - who was 38 weeks pregnant and in considerable
pain - to hospital to check if she was going into labour. “He saw the Uber in front of him with brake lights on and another vehicle, a Citroen, on the opposite side of the road at a standstill.” A passenger in the Citroen heard and filmed the victim saying: “I don’t care, run me over, I don’t care.” When she lay down on the road, the Uber driver reversed back around the defendant’s minibus, to turn around. Footage from the Citroen’s dashcam showed the minibus then accelerate and “shoot forwards,” running over her and dragging Miss Baker 11 metres under the vehicle. Mohamed, who waited at the scene and gave a negative breath test, later told the police he was concentrating on looking at the side of his minibus because he did not want the Uber driv- er to hit his wing mirror. He failed to see the victim laying in the road when he drove forwards - despite a four second opportunity to have
ACTION TAKEN AGAINST CABBIES CONGREGATING NEAR A DUDLEY PARK
Dudley Council has taken action against taxi drivers congregating in Woodside, Dudley. Dudley News reports that residents complained that taxis had been con- gregating in Avenue Road by Woodside Park, causing a nuisance to residents, with at least one cabbie urinating in the adjacent park. Officers from Dudley Council’s waste enforcement team undertook a joint operation with West Midlands Police to target the licenced vehicles (both PH and HC) using Avenue Road. At the time of the operation, three vehicles were spotted and the own-
JULY 2021
ers approached. One was suspended for not displaying the required pri- vate hire signage, the other was given advice concerning their actions. The third vehicle was regis- tered as private hire outside of the borough but was still advised regard- ing the reason for the operation. Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabi- net member for public realm said: “People should not feel intimidated or unwelcome on their own street or in their local park. We will continue to monitor the results of this interven- tion and if necessary carry out further enforcement within the area.”
done so, according to an accident investigator’s report. Sentencing, Judge Timothy Spencer QC said: “At the point of the collision Miss Baker deliberately lay down in the road, effectively blocking traffic. “Why she did that, no-one knows. It may have been something to do with drink- ing or even some medical condition.” Addressing Mohamed, he said: “The essence of this case is that you should- n’t have been looking at your side mirror, but at the road ahead. “As a taxi driver you have an exemplary and impeccable driving record. I have read 26 references about you. “You’re a pillar of the community and rarely have I had to sentence such an outstanding member of society - it’s a great tragedy it should come to this and it gives me no pleasure.” He said no sentence could attempt to quantify the loss of Miss Baker’s life which was “beyond measure.” Grahame James, mitigating, said: “He feels profound guilt about this appalling tragedy and takes full responsibility. “This was a four second lapse of judge- ment and there’s not a single aggravating feature put forward by the prosecution. He’s never had a single point on his driving licence or any com- plaints from customers. He’s an honest, God-fearing, respectful and well respected man in his community.” Mr James said that taking into account all the circumstances, including the actions of the victim, the incident “in some ways was a perfect storm.” He said: “My client was anxious about a pregnant woman, possibly being in labour, and a car stopped in front of him. “As Miss Baker’s family say, the road should have been better illuminated. He didn’t see anyone in the road in front of him or he would have stopped.” Mohamed was jailed for two months. He was also banned from driving for one year.
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