Taxi Driver Online

A TAXI driver was today being hunted by police after indecently assaulting a young woman he had picked up in his black cab.

The 23-year-old victim was left "very upset and distressed" after being attacked in the taxi just yards from her front door following a night out with friends.

The victim's family had ordered her a taxi to take her home when the suspect's black cab, which was licensed in Edinburgh, pulled up beside her in Lauder Road in Dalkeith.

The woman wrongly assumed the cab was intended for her and got inside for the short journey to her home in the town's Larch Crescent.

But the cabbie, a man in his late 30s, indecently assaulted her before driving off at around 2:40am on Sunday morning.

Detectives are now working with black cab firms in the Capital in a bid to identify drivers who were on duty at the time.

Officers have also appealed to anyone who may have been dropped off by the driver in Dalkeith before he picked up the victim.

Detective Constable Liam Maguire, who is leading the investigation, said: "The victim was standing on her own waiting for a taxi which had been ordered by a family member.

"Just after the call had been made for her, a black Hackney-style cab arrived.

"She thought it was the taxi ordered for her and got in. She was driven the three or four-minute journey to her street and at that time the driver has indecently assaulted her. She's been very upset and distressed, and has run to her home to alert her family, who called police."

The suspect is described as white, late 30s, 5ft 6in tall, medium build, short dirty blond hair, clean-shaven, with a local accent. He wore light blue denims and white/cream T-shirt with a dark motif on the front.

Officers have traced CCTV images of the taxi and managed to establish that the vehicle had Edinburgh City Council plates.

The driver of the taxi ordered for the victim also saw the suspect's vehicle in Dalkeith, and confirmed it was registered in the Capital, which has approximately 1,400 black cabs on the books.

DC Maguire added: "Enquiries are being carried out with the Edinburgh Cab Office.

"We are also continuing to examine CCTV from the Dalkeith and Mayfield areas, as well as cameras from Lothian buses.

"We are also looking into whether this was a Midlothian-based driver who was returning home after a shift."

Derek Bridgeford, a spokesman for the Scottish Taxi Federation, said: "All taxi drivers will cooperate with police over this matter as we don't want people like that driving black cabs."

Bogus private hire drivers have been involved in a number of incidents where passengers have been attacked.

Last February, a 19-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man masquerading as a private hire driver who picked her up outside City nightclub on Market Street.

http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Hunt ... 6114910.jp

Not a good story for taxi drivers, lets hope he is caught and given a severe sentence(balls cut off).It is also a bad story for the black cabs in the capital especially with the war of words between the pH and black cabs.

mmmm
if they can make out its an Edinburgh plate then they can make out the license number of the plate,as its twice the size of the Edinburgh logo.
and the vehicle reg plate is 3 times the size of the Edinburgh logo.
and how come the driver knew his way round the district that is not his own.
so why aren't they at this guys door.
just seems a bit odd to me

i think this story has more to do with that than it appears.
(meeting coming this week regarding advertising on ph vehicles=womans safety)
I'm not saying it didn't happen just that the reported facts seems suspect.

I think I agree with you Ali.........mark this in your diary

CC

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

In a similar case a few years ago and ironically within the Dalkeith area, an Edinburgh cabbie came forward after some claim was made against him, the claim against was dropped and the complainer was done for wasting police time. Maybe the Police do know the identity but are waiting for the cabbie to come forward as maybe in the above there are some facts that don't add up ?

Lets also make it clear that in 13 years of driving a black cab i've only heard of one case, the above, so there is no comparison to the PHC on this one and never will be, the PHC will and alway's will be wide open to illegals working without licence, the Black cab trade as regulated as it is only need to make sure that drivers do actually have a valid brief, the loss of a Taxi plate is massive compared to a PHC licence plate as the PHC have no Value, a lot is said in this scenario of plate value and restriction.

Regulation Regulation

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Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!

You are spot on Ali.

They are beating the grass, to see what snake appears. In other words, they have no proof as to who is responsible, but they are making an educated guess.

They are simply trying to flush the culprit out.

I suspect they have no conclusive evidence, but the lazy bar stewards are looking for the pervert to give himself up, to save them the donkey work.

If this guy sat tight, they could be in trouble.

_________________
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

In turn this means I agree with you.....that man....make a note

CC

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

the point seems to fly over your head Dougie. try taking your blinkers off,
trust me the view is much better.

its either that or disagree with me cc
and you know thats pointless

I'm not so sure. I smell a rat.

First, we all know that the Evening News loathes the taxi trade in Edinburgh. Which explains the way the story was written.

Second DC Maguire is reported as saying, "... the driver has indecently assaulted her". Yet in referral to the PH incident last february a 19-year-old girl was ALLEGEDLY" raped by a man masquerading as a PH driver.

Third This was a 3/4 minute journey yet the driver, with a bulkhead between him and the passenger managed to indecently assault her? Really?

Fourth Oh it happened when they reached the destination? Outside her house? The guy got into the passenger compartment (she didn't get out the other door) and assaulted her then? No screams, no distress, she just "runs" into her house tells her story and the plods are called. Really?

Fifth, as Ali says, if CC images say it's an Edinburgh taxi then they can read the number (Unless the silver mark on the plate reveals something to the camera that the rest of the plate doesn't). So, they would already have the guy. On appearance alone it could be an East Lothian plate.

Sixth, with the description the mug shots of all drivers would bring the guy forward, why all the shilly-shallying by the cops?

There is a huge rat to be smelled here.

It couldn't be that this female took the taxi because she was hacked off waiting, every Edinburgh cab is is hailed when they go into this area - which incidentally is also a restricted taxi area and the locals always have difficulty hailing cabs because of it. I can't travel through the area without a hail being attemted even though my hire light is off.

It couldn't be that she sensed an opportunity when recognising that guy shouldn't have picked her up and decided not to pay him (Edinburgh's tariff is higher), the guy got out to remonstrate with her and she concocted this story as a cover?

Remember it's her word against the driver's as to what actually happened, but' despite this it's beed reported as a done deal.

I don't believe this is an actual indecent assault. I think this is just a wide female trying to dodge a fare, which in Scotland affords a driver no protection by the cops or the Law (Yes I realise the guy may have been operating off area).

In short the Evening News has taken a non-story by the cops and turned it into a damaging piece about the taxi trade. Following on from it's story about alleged taxi wars and its bias towards a PH company which has just entered into what the News would presumably hope will develop into considerable advertising revenue I suggest that the story was written from that perspective. There was no questions by the reported here, he's simply cranked the whole affair up to show the taxi trade in a bad light. It is a scurrilous piece of journalism.

Don't we all know that even if a balancing report is made it will appear at the bottom of column 6 buried deep in the paper.

Even so, when it comes the bodies who supposedly represent the trade should make a formal (futile) complaint to the Press Complaints Commission.

_________________
Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"

You can include the Daily Record as well, what happened to innocent until proven guilty? I was saying this today that it could be a case of a wise girl playing the game, the cabbie biting and moves in to throw her out the cab, she cry's foul, easy done to the gullables of our trade, what we as a trade need to make sure is under no circumstances we enter the back of the cab female or singular passenger, go straight to police with punter and plead dumb as far as keeping punter against their will is concerned. But Jim yes on this one you are 95% correct, the 5 % is the fact you manage to bring in to every subject, Restriction!!!

Do you not see the difference between a restricted trade from a de-restricted trade, in the above i'd rather be part of a restricted trade, god help us if we where a de-restricted trade and where as wide open as the PHC trade, how many illegals are working in the PHC trade compared to the black cab trade Jim? i hope you'll agree on this one!!!

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Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!

i don't know are there large amount of illegals working the ph dougie.

I'm not saying your wrong or just being plain paranoid.
but just for the sake of keeping things factual,do you have any (facts that is) to back your statement up.

or shall we scratch this up to another one that you wont back up like your failure to back up your new york model.

Dougie, grow up and stop denying me my rights.

Jeeze it's like dealing with children!

_________________
Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"

All gone quiet then?

Surprise surprise.

_________________
Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"