SHAME SHAME
NEWCASTLE CABBIE WHO RAN OVER WOMAN IN ROAD BANNED FROM DRIVING FOR 12 MONTHS
A cabbie who ran over a drunk woman who was standing in the middle of the road has been banned from driving. Mohammad Tofazzul Ali, who has been a hackney carriage driver for more than 20 years and is of exemplary character, was driving in Gateshead when he failed to see the victim in the middle of the road. A court heard although she had voluntarily entered the road, he was not paying proper attention leaving her with multiple fractures. Ali, 64, from Newcastle, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving and was given a community order, unpaid work and a 12-month driving ban, at Newcastle Crown Court.
The court heard in July last year the victim spent the evening socialising. Michael Bunch, prose- cuting, said: “She states she was drunk. She decided to go home by herself and took a taxi to somewhere in Gateshead and can recollect getting out of the taxi and standing in the middle of the road. She then began to think she wanted to be run over. Her next recollection is being in an ambu- lance speaking to a paramedic. “At 1.30am a witness in a taxi along Old Durham Road, Gateshead saw the car in front swerving. They
saw the
complainant in the middle of the road. It was hard to see her until the headlights shone on her. “The taxi driver braked sharply and came to a halt. The cabbie let the
COMMUNITY ORDER FOR RENFREW CABBIE WHO ABDUCTED GIRL
A taxi driver who abducted a teenage girl in his car made a “poor decision”, a court has heard. In February,
the 35-year-old
pleaded guilty to abducting the girl while employed as a taxi driver. Mohamed Youssef picked the girl, 13, up from a property in Clydebank, and drove to Paisley town centre. During the journey in June 2022, he refused to let the girl alight from the vehicle and then drove away with her inside, detaining her against her will. The exact nature of the incident was not disclosed. At sentencing on April 2 at Dumbarton Sheriff Court, Youssef’s
60 defence solicitor said: “He
appreciates it’s a serious matter. He has no previous convictions. He appears to have made a poor decision and expresses his remorse. He is no longer able to work as a [taxi] driver.” Sheriff David Hall said: “You appear as a man with no previous convictions. Your behaviour on the day in question was unacceptable and as you now acknowledge, idiotic to do what you did.” But he said there was an alternative to custody and ordered Youssef to perform 200 hours of unpaid work in the community within 12 months.
complainant in the vehicle and she was crying and said, “I wanted you to kill me, I wanted to die.” “The complainant became volatile before getting out of the taxi. “The complainant then ran towards another car which came to a halt, lay on the bonnet and shouted to the driver to kill her. The witness contacted the police while her husband left the taxi and stood in the carriageway to make other drivers aware of the complainant. “The complainant then ap- proached the vehicle driven by the defendant and a collision occurred which is captured on CCTV.” The woman was taken to hospital in Newcastle and was found to have sustained several fractures to her pelvis, the right side of her jaw, a haematoma to the right side of her head, bruising to her right lung and a laceration to her chin. Judge Robert Adams said it was not clear why the woman had said she wanted to be killed. Passing sentence, he said: “I accept she was, in part, the author of her own misfortune but you had the chance to see her and you didn’t.” Rachel Hedworth, defending, said: “He is devastated at the fact he has caused this young woman these injuries. He recognises he should have been paying better attention and doesn’t seek to minimise the effect of the accident on her.” Miss Hedworth provided several references, said he was an “inspirational father” to his six children and had never been in trouble or had a collision before.
MAY 2024 PHTM
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