Lack of Licence Leads to Court
9th July 2009
A woman has been prosecuted for using an unlicensed vehicle to transport vulnerable children.
Alicicica Harris, 43, of Rawlins Close, Adderbury, pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed private hire vehicle at Banbury Magistrates' Court yesterday (Wednesday).
She was fined £650 and ordered to pay £500 court costs and a £15 victims' surcharge.
On September 19 last year, a vehicle owned by Mrs Harris was identified at Frank Wise School in Hornbeam Close, Banbury.
It was being passed off as a private hire vehicle.
The S-reg VW Transporter, driven by one of Mrs Harris's colleagues, was there to pick up a child as part of a contract with Oxfordshire County Council's integrated transport unit.
Using a vehicle to transport members of the public without a valid private hire licence can invalidate insurance.
The Volkswagen was immediately impounded and alternative transport was provided to make sure children arrived home safely.
Cllr Kieron Mallon, Cherwell District Council's portfolio holder for communications, said: "This kind of disregard is bad at the best of times but where vulnerable youngsters are involved, frankly it's totally unacceptable.
"We will continue to take swift action whenever we find someone operating unlicensed vehicles."
Mrs Harris had been refused a licence for the vehicle after its previous one expired in April last year.
Source; Banbury Guardian - banburyguardian.co.uk
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