SHAME SHAME
BAN AND LICENCE REVOCATION FOR PH DRIVER CAUGHT ON PHONE WHILE DRIVING IN LEEDS
A Leeds private hire driver has been banned from the road for three years and stripped of his licence after nearly colliding with a police car while using a mobile phone at the wheel. The incident unfolded in Harehills when two West Yorkshire Police Special Constables - one experienced and one a student - were on patrol. According to the force, the private hire driver pulled out directly in
front of their vehicle while distracted by his phone. Realising he had cut off police officers, the motorist panicked and threw his phone onto the floorboards. As he fumbled around to retrieve it, he nearly smashed into the police patrol car. When officers directed him to pull over,
the student officer
approached the cab to address the dangerous driving. Instead of cooperating, the taxi driver started
shouting abuse. The more experienced officer then stepped in to deal with the motorist. The driver was booked for using a mobile phone while driving, driving without due care and attention, driving without being in proper control of a vehicle, and operating a vehicle with three illegal tyres. Following a court summons, the driver received a three-year driving ban, had his private hire licence revoked and was fined £1,492.
LIVERPOOL CABBIE HANDED SUSPENDED SENTENCE FOR PET INSURANCE SCAM
A Liverpool private hire driver who fabricated an elaborate insurance fraud scheme involving dead dogs has been handed a suspended prison sentence after struggling financially when his cab repeatedly broke down. Robert Cretu, 40, submitted 30 fraudulent claims to five separate insurers for fictitious dogs that had supposedly died in tragic circumstances, netting a total of £31,700 between December 2023 and August 2025. Cretu concocted dramatic stories to support the scam, claiming one dog had leapt from Blackpool Pier into the sea while chasing a seagull and another had been struck by a lorry in the Lake District. He produced forged documents and veterinary records using false identities and bank accounts, though several claims actually failed or were rejected due to suspicious circumstances and
PHTM SEPTEMBER 2026
excessive costs. Defending barrister Sarah Griffin told Liverpool Crown Court that Cretu had stopped working as a factory supervisor to become a taxi driver, but suffered from low income after his vehicle broke down multiple times. She noted that he was the sole financial provider for his partner and her 10-year-old child, stating he intended to pay the relevant insurers back from his ongoing work.
Judge Gary Woodhall sentenced Cretu to 20 months in prison,
suspended for 18 months, with a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 20 days. Judge Woodhall remarked: “Those insurance companies and the insurance business generally has to invest heavily to try to stop the sort of things that you did. That increases fees for everybody else. “There is some detail provided suggesting that your employ- ment was the cause of your offending due to debt that you had incurred. “Your dates do not stack up, as far as that is concerned. You started working as a taxi driver in October 2024, and this offending started almost 12 months earlier.” However, the judge was ultimately persuaded to
suspend the
sentence due to Cretu’s lack of previous convictions, genuine remorse, and the severe impact an immediate custodial sentence would have on his family.
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