..IN THE
NEWS...IN THE NEWS TAXI DRIVER WALKS FREE AFTER ‘BIZARRE’
CONFRONTATION WITH EDINBURGH AIRPORT CHIEF
An Edinburgh taxi driver has walked free, following a “bizarre” confronta- tion with an Edin- burgh Airport boss. According to Edin- burghlive, Iain Hun- ter, 60, was called to appear in court fol- lowing an incident that took place last May involving the airport’s Chief Exec- utive, Gordon Dewar. The court heard how Mr Dewar “sprinted” the entire length of the airport car park
to confront Mr Hunter, who was allegedly parked in a prohibited area. Mr Dewar is said to have then sat on the bonnet of Mr Hun- ter’s car and began videoing the cab- bie’s licence plates. According to the defence, the taxi driver became con- cerned for his safety, prompting him to attempt to drive away from the scene. Sheriff Flinn heard how Mr Hunter start-
ed driving “slowly” towards Mr Dewar and then struck him - but didn’t cause him any injuries. Fol- lowing the incident, Mr Hunter allegedly called Mr Dewar a “p***k” and drove off. Defence solicitor Paul Dunne insisted: “This incident would not have occurred if it wasn’t for the bizarre behaviour of Mr Dewar which caused the entire incident to escalate
NEWCASTLE DRIVER HIT BY TRAIN AFTER DRIVING ONTO TRACKS
A taxi driver has appeared in court after he drove his car onto a railway line before being hit by a train. Mumtaz Ali, 68, from Newcastle, appeared at New- castle Magistrates’ Court last month. According to the Hexham Courant, Ali pleaded not guilty to one charge of dangerous driving relating to the inci- dent at around 7.15pm on January 7 last year. However, he had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving. The court heard that Ali had been driving a passenger to an unknown location, and had been told to turn left before the level crossing near Warden. Ali, who said he had
The taxi driver struck Gordon Dewar, following a confrontation
out of control. “I would ask your lordship to deal with this matter by way of absolute dis- charge. He has no previous convictions and no outstanding cases. If the matter cannot be dealt with this way then Mr Hunter will have to appear before the taxi licensing com- mittee of Edinburgh City Council. “His vehicle had
slight contact but not so much as to cause Mr Dewar to take a step back. It was the merest of touches,” he said. Mr Dunne said that if Mr Dewar was con- cerned that the taxi driver was parked in a prohibited area, he could have checked CCTV to establish his identity. He added: “ None of this would have taken place if it were
not for a chief exec- utive who it would appear has nothing better to do than to enforce taxi parking regulations.” Mr Dunne also raised concerns after the prosecu- tion weren’t able to disclose CCTV im- ages of the incident, stating that no foot- age recovered cap- tured the entire con- frontation. Mr Dunne added: “I find it impossible to bel- ieve that there’s not a square inch of Edinburgh Airport not covered by CCTV.” Mr Hunter pleaded guilty to a breach of the peace charge and the Sheriff granted an absolute discharge - enabling him to continue to work as a taxi driver as he will not have a criminal record.
EAST KILBRIDE DRIVER ‘MOWED DOWN AMATEUR FOOTBALLER’
The taxi, driven by Mumtaz Ali, which was hit by a train
never driven in the area, got confused and turned left onto the railway track, and became stuck. The court heard that Mr Ali had been a taxi driver for 25 years and had never had an accident. British Transport Police said no casu- alties were reported, but trains were can- celled or delayed due to the lines
MARCH 2020
being blocked. Both the taxi and the train were damaged in the crash. Magistrates found that Ali had not been driving dan- gerously, and char- ged him with care- less driving instead. He was given nine points and ordered to pay a fine of £387, as well as costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £36.
A taxi driver is to stand trial accused of mowing down and murdering an amateur footballer. STV News reports that Derek McClin- ton is accused of killing Craig Kearney in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, on March 5, 2017. Prosecutors claim McClinton hit the 24-year-old with his car, knocked him to the ground and drove over his head and body.
It is alleged the 49- year-old then failed to get medical help and left Mr Kearney lying injured on the road in the dark. Mr Kearney, who had played for AFC Bonnyholm in Pol- lok, Glasgow, later died. McClinton,
from
East Kilbride, faces a separate charge of then attempting to pervert the course of justice by contin- uing to work and allowing “video
footage” to be erased. The charge also states McClinton washed the car in “an attempt to destroy evidence”. Donald Findlay, defending, pleaded not guilty on his client’s behalf at the High Court in Glas- gow on Wednesday 19 February. Lord Arthurson set a trial due to begin in October and Mc- Clinton was released on bail.
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