Durham taxi driver James Taylor Robson who hit and killed pensioner had fake licence James Taylor Robson, blameless over the death of a 75-year-pedestrian, was found to have forged his taxi licence A taxi driver who knocked down and killed a pensioner had forged his cabbie’s licence, a court heard.
James Taylor Robson was a bona fide taxi driver for years but had not held a valid licence since 2007.
As he drove through Sunderland, Robson’s car struck a 75-year-old man as he crossed the road.
Robson, 61, is not charged in relation to the death but appeared in court on fraud and forgery charges in relation to his taxi licence.
Christopher Knox, prosecuting, said: “The defendant was for some years a licenced taxi driver in Sunderland.
“However he then evaded the licencing system by forging his licence and presenting it to obtain insurance and thus to present himself as a taxi driver.
“These matters came to the notice of the police when on January 5 was driving his taxi when he hit and killed a 75-year-old pedestrian.
“It’s not possible to say his driving was sufficiently at fault to justify any charges arising from that accident.”
Mr Knox said Robson was driving at a reasonable speed in the dark when he collided with the unnamed victim as he crossed the road after coming out of a pub.
But although blameless over the death, police inquiries showed he should not have been working as a cabbie at the time.
The prosecutor said: “He had not held a valid taxi licence since February 2007.
“The seriousness of these offences is he had used a forged old badge and made false representations that he was a licenced taxi driver to obtain insurance and to put himself forward to the taxi operator as a licenced driver.
“He just changed the date on the badge and no-one seemed to notice the design had changed in that time.”
The court heard Robson had been given spectacles in 2003 but had not been back to the opticians since.
Although he passed an eye test after the accident, police noticed his glasses appeared old and scratched.
Mr Knox said: “If he had lawfully been a taxi driver he would have been tested by his GP and his eyesight would have been looked at.
“On the face of it there is no reason why he would not have been licenced.”
Robson, of Hazel Dene Way, Seaham, County Durham, told police he had been a cabbie for 19 years and had worn glasses while driving for 45 years.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of making a false representation to his insurance company, forgery of his taxi badge and using a false instrument.
Recorder Andrew Haslam adjourned sentence in order to obtain further information about Robson’s eyesight and glasses.
The judge said: “Why did he not have his eyes tested between 2003 and 2014 and why was he wearing old scratched spectacles while driving members of the public in a taxi?”
Ian Hudson, defending, said: “He is not at fault in any way for the fatality and road accident which took place on January 5 and that is not the subject of doubt.”
Robson was further released on bail and will be back in court for sentence at a later date.
source:
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor ... or-8031040
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