SHAME SHAME
SIX YEARS' JAIL FOR BRACKNELL SCHOOL RUN COMPANY TAXI BOSS FOR CHEATING TAXES
A school run taxi boss who used stolen taxes to help buy a £3.8 million mansion has been jailed. David Park, director of Berkshire Education Travel Limited, was providing home-to-school taxi services for Wokingham Borough Council and Bracknell Forest Council. He invoiced the councils some £777,000 in VAT for the taxi services provided, with more than £697,000 being paid by Bracknell Forest and £79,000 by Wokingham Borough. However he failed to pay tax to HM Revenue & Customs and instead kept the money. Park was arrested in November 2016 and he and his company were
both charged with two counts of cheating the public revenue and one of transferring criminal property.
He and his company denied the charges but were found guilty on all counts after a trial at Reading Crown Court. The jury heard that he used a substantial proportion of the
monies paid to his company to buy a £3.8 million property in rural Berkshire. Park has now been sentenced to six years in prison, following an investigation by HMRC. Park, 73, of Warfield near Bracknell, has been disqualified from being a company director for seven years. HMRC said it is seeking to recover the stolen money. Matthew Moignard, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “David Park is a tax cheat who chose to line his own pockets rather than pay tax that he knew was due. “The money he stole robbed our vital public services of much- needed funds.”
NORTHERN IRISH CABBIE DENIES CHARGES OF SEXUAL ACTIVITY WITH TEENAGER
A taxi driver tasked by the Education Authority to take children to and from school sexually abused a teenage girl in his vehicle, a court has heard. According to the Irish News, Graeme John Ellison is standing trial at Downpatrick Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, on three charges arising from an incident allegedly committed against a 15-year old schoolgirl. The 60-year old, from Portaferry, has denied charges of sexual activity.
Opening the Crown's case, prosecuting barrister Laura Ivers said the offences occurred some time between January and April 2020.
PHTM NOVEMBER 2022
At that time, Ellison was tasked by the Education Authority to take the teenage complainant and her sister to and from their home on the Ards peninsula to school. Ms Ivers said the allegations stemmed from a single incident which the teenage girl claimed occurred at the start of 2020 and before lockdown. On the day of the alleged offence, the girl said she was travelling in the taxi on her own. She claimed that as she sat in the front seat, Ellison sexually assaulted her. Ms Ivers said the incident was brief and that as the schoolgirl got out of the vehicle, Ellison said: “Don't tell anyone or I will get into serious trouble.”
It's also alleged that in the aftermath, Ellison tried to contact her on Facebook. In November 2020 the teenager told her mother what happened, police were contacted and Ellison was interviewed by officers. During interview, Ellison confirmed he had taken the teenager and her sister to school in his taxi, and when asked about the complainant he said she kept herself to herself and was usually on her phone. He also told police he had to scold her on several occasions for smoking in the taxi - but rejected her allegations and denied that any wrongdoing or sexual misconduct had taken place.
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