Taxi driver from Winterton fears he may lose his licence after illegal use of disabled parking badgeA taxi driver fears he may lose his licence after illegally using a disabled parking badge that belonged to one of his customers for eight months.
John Leasing, of Roxby Road, Winterton, was charged with theft by finding after obtaining the badge from Zakira Hussain, who left the badge in Leasing’s taxi in October of last year.
Leasing, 42, pleaded guilty on the day of his trial at North Lincolnshire Magistrates’ Court to theft by finding.
Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, prosecuting, told the court that parking enforcement officers caught up with Leasing in June of this year, when they saw his car parked in a lay-by near Scunthorpe Market.
She said officers believed the badge to have been tampered with and inquiries then found it was reported stolen.
Leasing was then stopped by police a month later for being in possession of the badge and arrested, she told the court.
The prosecutor said Leasing told police that the badge had been left in his mini-bus by a customer and he had it on the dashboard as a reminder to himself to hand it back.
It was not revealed which firm he worked for.
Sunny Dhinsa, mitigating, told the court that Leasing was extremely remorseful and was a man of previous good character. Mr Dhinsa said: “He has learnt a valuable lesson and through his own foolish actions he may lose his livelihood, as he may lose his taxi licence.”
Leasing was given an 80-hour community order and told to pay £85 prosecution costs.
source:
http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/Taxi- ... story.html
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