Taxi Driver Online

Coke In His Cab

AN Ayr taxi driver with 15 previous convictions, including assault and robbery, was caught with cocaine in his cab. Police received a tip off that black hackney driver John Sweeney was pedalling the class A drug on the streets of Ayr.

And when they searched Sweeney’s taxi, when he was parked outside Ayr railway station waiting for fares, they found two packages at his feet with white powder in them.

Sweeney told the officers that it was cocaine but was for his own personal use. At Ayr Sheriff Court last week the 48-year-old of Murray Street admitted being in possession of cocaine in Smith Street on June 13 last year.

Depute fiscal Hailey Robertson said: “Police found two packages, The first contained 2.87 grams and the second 0.57 grams. The value was approximately £80.”

Solicitor Peter Lockhart said: “At the time he was a taxi driver but he is currently laid off. However he still holds a taxi drivers licence. When he applied for his licence to South Ayrshire Council he disclosed his previous convictions but since they were all over five years old, under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, they were considered spent.”

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IDFIMH

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IDFIMH

I thought that the rehabilitation act did not apply to taxi drivers
http://www.apexscotland.org.uk/rehabact_extended.pdf

Maybe the council's policy is to consider conviction over 5 years old as spent.

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Grandad,

Maybe, but statutes come before conditions.

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IDFIMH

I doubt that the statute says that anyone with any convictions is not fit and proper so let me put it another way then. Maybe the council accept that a person whose convictions are more than 5 years old is fit and proper to hold a license.

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Grandad,

I would hope that is the case, but the article indicates the council don't know how the RoO Act works in relation to the taxi/PH trade.

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IDFIMH