AND
PROPER...FIT AND
NORTHANTS DRIVER PROSECUTED FOR NOT USING METER
Hackney carriage driver Seydi Vakas Colak was ordered to pay £845 after being found guilty of not using the meter in his cab, resulting in his passenger being charged too much. The action also invalidated his vehicle insurance. According to the Northampton Chro- nicle and Echo, Wellingborough Council’s licensing team received a complaint in Octo- ber last year that Mr Colak had taken a passenger without turning on the meter in his cab. At the end of the short journey, Mr
Colak told his pas- senger the fare was £3.50. As this was more than they usu- ally paid, the pas- senger contacted the council.
An investigation by licensing officers showed that because the meter wasn’t used, the fare charged was in excess of the maxi- mum allowed under the set tariff pre- scribed by the council. It was deter- mined that not using the meter was con- trary to the byelaws for hackney carriages and also meant the vehicle insurance was not valid. A prosecution was
taken against Mr Colak; the case was first heard at North- ampton Magistrates’ Court in April, where Mr Colak pleaded not guilty. The case was then listed for full trial at Kettering Magistrates’ Court and was heard last month.
After evidence from Mr Colak and coun- cil witnesses during the trial, Mr Colak was found guilty of both offences. He was fined a total of £450, a victim sur- charge of £45, and given eight points on his driving licence. The court also awarded costs of £350 to the council.
ESSEX DRIVER FINED FOR LEAVING SCENE OF CANVEY CRASH
A taxi driver has been fined hundreds of pounds after an eagle-eyed witness noted his registration number following a crash on Canvey in which he failed to stop.
Police officers man- aged to track down Brian Saunders after he drove off from a crash in Eastern Esplanade on April 12 last year. Officers from the Essex Police Casualty Reduction Unit’s investigations team acted on the details given to them by the witness, tracked the 57-year-old down and sent inquiry notices to his home in Romford.
Saunders claimed he was no longer the keeper of the car and added it had been sold to a taxi firm in Havering.
When the firm failed to respond to official notices from police, officers went to the company’s offices where managers denied that Saunders worked for the firm. However, officers noticed Saunders’ hire licence framed and hanging on the office wall.
Further notices were sent to Saunders requesting him to complete the forms within 28 days, but he failed to do so. His case was heard at
Basildon Magistrates’ Court in his absence. According to the Basildon Echo, Mag- istrates fined him £775 for failing to respond to legal notices and he was ordered to pay court costs of £600 and a victim surcharge of £60. He was also given six penalty points on his driving licence.
Adam Pipe, Essex Police’s casualty reduction manager, said: “Too many peo- ple think they can get away with these crimes, but Essex Police and the courts will always react robustly to ensure they are brought to justice.”
OCTOBER 2015
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