£900 bill for running unlicensed taxi cab in west Cumbria
Two taxi drivers have been ordered to pay almost £900 for running an unlicensed and uninsured taxi.
Ian Affleck, 53, of Grasmoor Road, Salterbeck, and Paul Hoggarth, 49, of Firth View Walk, Westfield, both Workington, appeared at West Allerdale Magistrates’ Court
Affleck pleaded guilty to driving a taxi without a licence and without insurance, and Hoggarth pleaded guilty to causing and permitting his taxi to be driven without insurance.
The court heard that Affleck had been seen driving a hackney carriage vehicle on December 7, 2009, on Oxford Street, Workington.
After checking with licensing records, it was confirmed that Mr Affleck’s hackney carriage driver’s licence had expired in September, 2007, and that the vehicle was registered to Paul Hoggarth.
Affleck admitted renting the vehicle to carry on his business. He also admitted that he did not have insurance to cover him to drive the vehicle; mistakenly believing that Hoggarth’s insurance would cover him.
Hoggarth admitted to hiring the licensed hackney carriage vehicle to Affleck for more than two years.
Affleck was fined £400 and ordered to pay £75 costs and a victim surcharge of £15. He was also given eight points on his licence and disqualified from driving for six months.
Hoggarth was fined £300, ordered to pay £75 costs and a victim surcharge of £15.
Trevor Gear, Allerdale Council’s legal executive, said: “Unlicensed drivers put lives at risk. Such drivers may also not have had a medical or been checked by the Criminal Records Bureau.”
source:
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