Warning issued to "taxi" customers in Middlesbrough after rapist private-hire driver jailed'Taxi' customers are being urged to follow key safety rules after a driver was jailed for raping a passenger he had picked up illegally.
The warning from Middlesbrough Council follows a court case in which Naleem Nasleem was jailed for ten years.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 48-year-old had picked up a woman in his vehicle before attacking her last September.
Nasleem – a self-employed driver - was in a vehicle branded to a local operator, but had picked the woman up without a booking.
People are now being reminded of the importance of pre-booking private hire vehicles – which are not allowed to pick passengers who flag them down - and of ensuring they use only licensed vehicles.
They are also reminded that every licensed vehicle is required to display plates front and rear bearing a unique identification number, and drivers must also wear a badge carrying photo identification.
Cllr Julia Rostron, the council’s executive member for adult health and social care, said: “This was an appalling attack and the perpetrator has quite rightly received a very lengthy jail sentence.
“The case again underlines the importance of always using either licensed hackney carriages or private hire vehicles that have been pre-booked through a licensed Private Hire Operator.
“The only time when you can use a private hire vehicle within the law is when the vehicle has been pre-booked.
“Any private hire driver who picks up a passenger without a booking is committing an offence and will not be insured.
“Booking through a licensed Private Hire Operator will ensure that all details of your journey are recorded and that the driver of the vehicle can be identified.”
source:
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/l ... er_jailed/
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