WORLDWIDE TAXI FOCUS from Ireland
IRISH CABBIE CLEARED OF CARELESS DRIVING AS JURY ASK FOR NEW LAWS FOR E SCOOTERS
A taxi driver was cleared on the charge of careless driving causing serious bodily harm to a young man travelling on an e-scooter wearing dark clothes – and the jury called for new legislation for people using e-scooters. According to Echo Live, the jury at Cork Circuit Criminal Court reached a unanimous not guilty verdict in the case and attached a note to the verdict for the attention of Judge Brian O’Callaghan who invited the foreperson to read it. “We recommend that the legislation be updated in regard to all road users to include electric scooters and the legal requirement to wear a high visibility vest and to have insurance to drive on the road. “The full responsibility and due care should not fall solely on car users,” the foreperson said. Judge O’Callaghan told the taxi driver Jonathan Anayochukwu of Ballincollig, County Cork, that he was free to go as there was no further charge against him. The judge assured the six men and six women of the jury that their recommendation would be brought to the attention of the relevant authorities. The charge on the indictment had alleged that on July 28 2020, the defendant did drive without due care and attention thereby causing serious bodily harm to Bojan Vucak. The injured party was travelling on an e-scooter at the time of the incident which gave rise to the charge being brought. Mr Vucak said he left work at 11pm on his e-scooter wearing a black leather jacket, dark blue jeans and shoes. He had a hood up because it was raining heavily. He was not wearing a helmet. There was a backlight on the scooter and reflectors on the front wheel, he said. “Approximately, 100 metres from home, going up the hill I got hit. I thought it was a bus. Before I knew what was hap- pening I was on the floor, blood pouring down my face, Mr Vucak said. Prosecution barrister, Ray Boland, said that the injured party sustained a skull fracture and fractures to his facial bones and other injuries. Mr Vucak told defence barrister Emmet Boyle he was much better now apart from some numbness to the left of his face. Sam Daly, the front seat passenger in the taxi stated that it was darker where the accident occurred due to the presence of trees. But Mr Daly said he did not see the moment of the collision because he was looking at his phone. Pedestrian Alina Skoryk was walking by at the time and sim- ilarly she did not see the moment of the collision because she was also looking at her phone.
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IRISH CABBIE GETS SUSPENDED SENTENCE FOR KISSING PASSENGER WITHOUT CONSENT
A taxi driver who kissed a passenger without her consent as she was collecting her bag from the car has been given a suspended sentence for sexual assault. According to
breakingnews.ie, father of four, Kusika Kudia, 55, later admitted to gardaí in interview that he had kissed the woman without her permission but suggested she was “looking for a kiss”. Kudia, from Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to sexually assaulting the woman in February 2020. He is still working as a taxi driver. Judge Karen O’Connor said Kudia’s behaviour was “totally and utterly unacceptable and it amounted to sexual assault”. “A person who is the holder of a public vehicle licence has a duty to be trustworthy and ensure members of the public can travel safely and be returned home safely,” she said. She took into account a number of mitigating factors, including Kudia’s lack of previous convictions and his early guilty plea. She sentenced him to nine months prison, suspended on conditions including that Kudia remain under the supervision of the Probation Service for 12 months. Garda Mark Paul told Elva Duffy BL, prosecuting, that the woman got into Kudia’s taxi with a friend following a night out in Dublin. Her friend was dropped off before she directed Kudia to take her to her home. She said during the journey she asked to stop at an ATM to withdraw cash. On her return to the taxi, Kudia asked her to sit in the front seat beside him rather than in the back seat. She refused, but Kudia asked her to move again. The woman later told gardaí that Kudia was not aggressive and spoke quietly, but she continued to refuse to move. On reaching her destination, she got out of the car and noticed that Kudia had got out of the taxi also. The woman told gardaí that he approached her and asked for hug and to “come back with me”. She refused, but he wrapped his arms around her and “got a good hold of her”. She said “no in a meaningful way” and tried to elbow him, but he pushed his face towards her and forced his tongue into her mouth. The woman said she then went into “survival mode” and managed to get away and into her house. Kudia was identified through CCTV footage and he was traced as the registered user of the vehicle. He was interviewed two weeks later and accepted he had kissed the woman without permission, but insisted he had not used his tongue. Keith Spencer BL, defending, submitted to the court that his client’s livelihood is now in jeopardy. He asked the court to accept that his client has no criminal history and he has never been accused of any similar behaviour since. “It was a massive error of judgement. He accepts that he had no right to make the advance he did,” Mr Spencer said.
JULY 2021
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