Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers lose licences after rail station rank brawl


Duo saw magistrates back council’s decision

Two taxi drivers caught by police brawling at a rank outside Sevenoaks rail station have had their licences suspended by the local council.

Andrew Badger, from Axtaine Road, Orpington, and Mohammed Jabbar from Glyn Davies Close, Dunton Green, were arrested by British Transport Police during the incident on May 16, 2011.

They were both cautioned by police.

Sevenoaks District Council, which licences taxi drivers in the district, held a hearing into their conduct on October 26.

The licensing committee decided that due to the very serious nature of the incident, Mr Badger would have his Hackney carriage driver’s licence suspended for six months and Mr Jabbar would have his Hackney carriage driver’s licence suspended for nine months.

However, both Mr Badger and Mr Jabbar appealed the council’s decision to Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Courts.

The case was heard by at the magistrates’ court recently.

The court upheld the council’s original decision and also awarded costs against the two of £765 each.

The two drivers had until April 27 to appeal against the magistrates’ decision.

As far as the council is aware, no appeal has been made to the Crown court against the magistrates’ decision.

Elaine Bracken, the council’s cabinet member for licensing, says: “We have a duty to protect the travelling public and we will use our powers to ensure drivers and operators meet the standards of conduct set out in law. This particular incident would have been distressing for the public and is not the sort of behaviour we would expect from drivers providing a public service.”

source: http://www.kentnews.co.uk/news/taxi_dri ... _1_1366028

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Jabbar and Badger?

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Another thing hopefully the Law Commission will sort.

What qualifications does a Councillor have to judge if someone will be 'fit and proper' in six months, but not in five months and 30 days?

_________________
IDFIMH

they could go to a magistrate?........I doubt this option will be open when the law commission have their look at it though.

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Having a scuffle hardly means you are a bad person does it,

See mixed messages again, ok to hold boxing matches and get ppl all blood thirsty cos there's wonga involved, but two men having a little fist cuddle get the book thrown at them, I know of a pedophile that served less time for his crimes than the time element these two have been handed down, mad country in a mad world, like the idiot that thought a bar that sold cheap drinks to young testy filled men should have a punchball machine in it and then wondered why someone ended up dead in there.

looks like the same is going to happen here now the council have apparently decided that i have to be interviewed over yesterdays incident with a view to taking away my badge why because the police took the view that the driver putting me in hospital was acting in self defence therefore he was blameless but i am a danger to the public apparently

I have NOT had anything in writing though

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Looks like you played it wrong!

Never react when you get hit; do an Ashley instead.

When you get hit, stay down, even if the punch carried no more weight than a feather,

Roll around a bit, in real agony.

Ask passers-by to call an ambulance, remember you are really hurt.

When the ambulance comes, so do the police.

When you have gone to hospital in the ambulance, the police will start to investigate and there will be plenty of other drivers pointing the finger at your assailant. Because that's what drivers do, they like to be in the spotlight and tell the story of what they saw.

Now who gets their collar felt by the police.

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

People are only allowed to use reasonable force in self-defense. Was putting you in hospital reasonable?

Think before you attend the council and maybe write down your side of the story, and keep to it.

_________________
IDFIMH

As I said I have not heard anything formally from the council only what the LO is alleged to have told other drivers

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

That is more or less what did happen I never retalliated or laid a finger on him BUT gesticulating towards him whilst asking him to stop yelling at me and listen to me constituted provocation and apparently in law he had the right to cause my injuries in self defence according to the custody sargeant at grantham

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Them fingers can be deadly

Driver: My taxi rank brawl could cost me my house


A BRAWLING taxi driver banned from his job for six months is worried he will lose his home.

Andrew Badger's Hackney carriage licence was suspended for six months by Sevenoaks District Council (SDC) after he was arrested for fighting with another driver at Sevenoaks train station.

Mr Badger was cautioned by police after the row with Sevenoaks Taxis owner Mohammed Jabbar, of Glyn Davies Close, Dunton Green, in May last year.

But SDC's licensing committee, which controls the permits for taxi drivers, stripped him of his licence for six months, while Mr Jabbar lost his for nine months.

Both drivers appealed the ban but it was upheld at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court on April 4 – and they were each ordered to pay court costs of £765.

Mr Badger, of Axtaine Road, Orpington, claimed Mr Jabbar started the fight after an argument over station permits.

He added: "I had a customer in my car but he just walked over and started abusing and threatening me.

"This has nothing to do with SDC but they've taken my licence and my livelihood.

"I have nothing to do now but sit around kicking my heels. I've got no income – I could lose my home and I support my daughter financially. What is she going to do now?"

Mr Jabbar refuted Mr Badger's claims, insisting he had acted in self-defence. He said the other driver had begun the fight, adding: "I have not received justice.

"Now I can't take passengers anywhere, but my business will stay open."

Elaine Bracken, the council's cabinet member for licensing, said: "We have a duty to protect the travelling public and we will use our powers to ensure drivers and operators meet the standards of conduct set out in law.

"This particular incident would have been distressing for the public and is not the sort of behaviour we would expect from drivers providing a public service."

The issue of permits has long been contentious for taxi drivers at Sevenoaks station.

Last year the Chronicle featured a campaign to reduce the number of cabs in the rank, and the district council said it would closely monitor their concerns.

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Driver-taxi ... story.html

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Still not had anything in writing from my council so perhaps yet again we are getting the stirmongers telling porkies again I have to say though that the sevenoaks case seems to be a rather harsh punishment for what is basically a minor incident and a caution by police

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector