Sex offenders and a killer among those applying for taxi licences in the North East, figures reveal Data from the Disclosure and Barring Service showed one in four cabbie licence applicants had previous convictions in 2014/2015
Rapists, paedophiles and a convicted killer were among those who applied to be taxi drivers in the North East in the last 12 months.
Figures taken from the Disclosure and Barring Service reveal one in four cabbie licence applicants had a previous conviction in 2014/2015.
Among the convictions of applicants in County Durham were two rapes, two for aiding and abetting rape and six for making an indecent picture of a child in Durham.
In South Tyneside, there was an applicant convicted of rape, while, in Sunderland, there was one convicted of unlawful attempted intercourse with a girl aged between 13 and 16.
Across the North East, there were applicants with 16 convictions for indecent assault on women aged 16 and over and six with indecent assaults on girls aged under 14.
The figures revealed that, in Newcastle, there was even one applicant with a conviction for manslaughter and one for causing death by reckless driving.
Meanwhile, in Northumberland, there were five applicants with convictions for belonging to proscribed organisations, which the Home Secretary believes may be involved in committing or glorifying acts of terrorism.
Also in the borough, there was an applicant with a conviction for causing death by dangerous driving.
Across the local authorities in the North East, those applying for taxi licences between April 2012 and March 2015 had 1,054 previous convictions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, 1,587 for having no motor insurance, 920 for driving while disqualified, 666 for taking conveyance without authority and 500 for driving while over the limit.
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said anyone applying for a licence with an unspent conviction would be referred to the regulatory and Appeals sub-committee.
He said: “All applicants for taxi licenses in Newcastle undergo criminal records checks.
“Anyone with more than six penalty points or who has an unspent conviction would be referred to the regulatory and Appeals sub-committee for consideration.
“Each case is dealt with on its own merits. The overriding objective is the protection of the public.
“Unspent convictions under the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 will be taken into account when considering the fitness of an applicant/driver.
“Spent convictions will be taken into account by Committee.
“Cautions will also be taken into account and will be regarded by Committee as an admission of guilt in respect of a particular offence.
“Where a custodial sentence has been imposed on an applicant for a particular offence, the period for being free from conviction will be taken as starting from their date of release and not the date of their conviction.”
A total of 1,060 applications from across the region in 2014/15 were revealed to have previous convictions, out of 3,711 applications, according to figures revealed following a Freedom of Information request.
As a result, one in four applications for taxi licences in 2014/15 showed previous convictions, although this is down from one in three in 2012/13.
All applicants for new or renewed hackney carriage or private hire licences must obtain a DBS check.
The figures do not show if applicants were given licences, as councils have discretion over whether to disregard previous offences. Decisions are made by the licensing committee.
source:
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor ... e-10915675
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