FIT AND PROPER
BLACKBURN TAXI DRIVER FINED AFTER BEING CAUGHT SMOKING IN HIS VEHICLE
A taxi driver has been prosecuted after council officials caught him smoking in his taxi. Rana Faisal Jameel was brought to court after Chorley Borough Council staff carried out checks on a licensed premises on October 31 last year and observed Jameel,
who was the driver of a vehicle licensed by
Blackburn with
Darwen BC, smoking a cigarette whilst travelling in Chorley. Jameel, 49, was issued a fixed penalty notice but did not pay the fine. Therefore, the cabbie was prosecuted by Chorley Council via
the Single Justice Procedure. Blackburn Council assisted by providing a witness statement. Jameel, from Blackburn, was found guilty in his absence and fined £220, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £88, plus the council’s costs of £150.
ASHFORD CABBIE WHO WAS CAUGHT DRIVING HIGH FAILS TO GET LICENCE REINSTATED
A cabbie who was high on drugs while behind the wheel has failed to have his licence reinstated. Shamin Ali was stopped by Kent Police in April 2022 and tested positive for cannabis after a roadside drug swipe. Cannabis was also found in his car, and he was arrested. On April 25, 2022, Ashford BC
brought Ali in for questioning. As he had been driving under the influence of drugs, lied to police, been in possession of cannabis and failed to notify the council of his arrest, the council decided to revoke his licence immediately. However, Ali appealed the decision and a hearing took place on 31 March 2023, at Margate Magis-
trates’ Court. The court took evidence and was “completely satisfied” that the council had made the right decision to revoke Ali’s licence in the interest of public safety.
The appeal was dismissed and Ali was ordered to pay £600 towards the costs incurred by the council to defend the action.
BRISTOL PH DRIVER’S LICENCE RENEWAL REFUSED AFTER ARREST FOR ALLEGED RAPE OF EX-PARTNER
A private hire driver has been stripped of his licence after police launched an investigation into allegations he raped his ex-partner. Bristol city councillors ruled the man was no longer a “fit and proper person” and refused his application to renew it. The Public Safety & Protection Sub-committee members heard that he was arrested on February 3 after his former girlfriend accused him of raping her last October. The unnamed driver, who has an unblemished record and has not been the subject of any previous
PHTM MAY 2023
complaints, insists the allegations are “malicious” and that the woman has a “history of alcohol, mental illness and violence”, the hearing was told. Recently published minutes of the meeting said the man’s solicitor told councillors his ex-partner continued to contact him and that it had nothing to do with his work as a PHV driver. The lawyer said the couple had consensual sex and the cabbie was “shocked” by her claims, which he denied, adding that a decision over charges in a rape case could take
between six and 12 months. The solicitor said there was no evidence the man was not a fit and proper person, but the panel disagreed. The minutes said: “The members noted their overriding responsibility is the safety of the public, they have only heard one version of events and at this stage it is only an allegation. “Given the seriousness of the allegation, members considered [the man] could not be deemed a fit and proper person and the application for renewal of his PH driver’s licence should be refused.”
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