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Uninsured cabbie's road ban halved
A CABBIE banned from the roads for a year after ferrying passengers around in an uninsured car has had his sentence cut on appeal.
Michael Barron made 31 journeys while his car was uninsured for two and a half days in February.
But the dad-of-two claims it was an honest mistake, and says he simply forgot to renew his papers when they ran out.
Mr Barron says he was shocked about the "hefty sentence" and felt he'd been "hammered by the court".
The 35-year-old appealed against the magistrates' decision, and last week a judge halved his ban to six months.
But Mr Barron, who lives with wife Karin, 33, a nurse, and children Michael, 11, and Courtney, nine, in Sutton Way, South Shields, says the damage has been done.
He added: "I will never be a taxi driver again, because you have to pay the council, and I'm not giving them another penny of my money willingly.
"I was a driver for eight years and paid the council loads of money over that time. But I make one mistake and they take me to court. It's disgraceful."
However, speaking at the appeal hearing at Newcastle's Moot Hall on Friday, Judge Paddy Cosgrove QC said he was impressed with the way South Tyneside Council handled the case.
Officers from the council's licensing section discovered the offence after receiving a cover note from Mr Barron's insurers.
They realised that Barron's insurance had expired at one minute before midnight on February 20, and was not renewed until February 23.
He had continued to work for Richmond Taxis, based in South Shields, during that period.
Barron appeared before South Tyneside magistrates in August, where he pleaded guilty to two charges of driving his Hackney carriage vehicle without insurance.
He was given six penalty points for each offence, fined £115, and ordered to pay £100 in costs, as well as a £15 victim surcharge.
After the appeal, his fines and costs remained the same.
He added: "I'm just being a house husband at the moment, and I'll be looking for something different to do now, although I won't be driving a cab again."
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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin
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