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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 11:18 am 
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In another thread, Edders wrote:
innocent till proven guilty is the preserve of courts of law: councils work on safety first so guilty till proven innocent i.e. he "might" be a risk to the public.


Of course, as your more recent comment about your LA saying that the they can't deny a driver the 'right to work' demonstrates, there's a degree of inconsistency about all this, both within the UK, and internationally.

Don't normally bother with overseas stuff, but since there's not much news around just now, this is interesting from Dublin. Couldn't see this happening here, especially with it splattered all over the press, or at least a lot of UK LAs would have this guy off the road, I suspect:

Taxi man suspect in sex attacks on two women 'still at work in Dublin'

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/n ... 34300.html

A TAXI driver suspected of savage sexual assaults on two women he picked up is still working, senior sources say.

Gardai are preparing a file for the DPP after they arrested the driver over the attacks that happened more than three months apart.

A source said officers had major concerns that the suspect, in his 40s and from South Asia, is continuing to work in Dublin despite a “very strong case against him”.

The investigation has been carried out by Pearse Street gardai, who spent several hours questioning him before he was released without charge.

His alleged victims are in their 20s and one is also a foreign national. Gardai have been investigating the assaults, which happened in late November and last August, since the victims made full statements.

The women were attacked after getting into the suspect’s taxi at different locations in the south of the city after socialising.

They were taken to the north inner city where the sexual assaults happened.

EVIDENCE

It is understood both women were treated at the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit at the Rotunda Hospital where examinations confirmed they had been assaulted.

“This case has been helped by the use of excellent-quality CCTV as well as very credible forensic evidence,” a senior source said.

“The investigation team were able to link both assaults and this led to the arrest of the suspect a number of weeks ago."

"A file on the cases is in the final stages of being sent to the DPP.

“What happened here was not only a gross breach of trust – these women suffered sustained and serious sexual assaults.

“Gardai are not looking for anyone else in relation to this investigation and are very hopeful of a successful conclusion.”

The alleged victims are not known to each other.

The source said gardai were aware the suspect was continuing to operate as a taxi driver in Dublin city centre but were monitoring his activities.

“At this stage what has happened are officially just accusations. There have been no charges yet so he is free to continue to work. If he was charged, certain conditions could be attached to any potential bail,” the source said.

“This has not happened yet but is very likely in the near future.

“However, gardai are considering going to the courts, where they can apply to have his taxi licence suspended for a period not exceeding three months under the Taxi Regulation Act 2013.”

It can also be revealed that Pearse Street gardai investigated the Dublin-based driver for a third sexual assault on a woman in the city centre in recent months but he was ruled out of that investigation.

The Pearse Street investigation is separate from the rape case being probed by Irishtown gardai who arrested a South Asian taxi driver in his 40s at Dublin Airport on January 4 after he arrived back from a European country.

FLED

The suspect had earlier fled the country and was in Europe for a number of weeks after he allegedly carried out the assault on a young north Dublin woman who was attacked after attending a D4 Christmas party last December 9.

Sources believe he returned to Dublin even though he knew gardai were looking for him because he has a number of children and other “family ties” here. The Tallaght-based taxi driver was questioned for a number of hours at Irishtown Garda Station before being released without charge on January 5.

A file on the case will now be sent to the DPP, but sources say the driver claims he did not rape the 22-year-old victim.

After he fled Ireland in the aftermath of the rape, gardai raided his home and carried out forensic examinations of the property.

The taxi in which the woman was attacked in the early hours has also been located, seized and forensically examined.

The victim is said to have suffered most of her ordeal while the taxi was parked at Emmet Street, in Dublin’s north inner city, between 2am and 3am on December 9.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:52 pm 
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trouble is if he hasn't yet been arrested the council may not have enough grounds to suspend or revoke but really it is quite worrying that he is still out there.

how many did Warboys do before he was arrested ?

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:57 pm 
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edders23 wrote:
trouble is if he hasn't yet been arrested the council may not have enough grounds to suspend or revoke but really it is quite worrying that he is still out there.


Don't know if you have to be arrested before a council would suspend?

But, of course, as we know every council does things at least *slightly* differently - others a *lot* differently - so who knows?

So not sure if an arrest is critical as regards a council's decision to suspend, although I'm sure someone will know...


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 9:26 pm 
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Quote:
A TAXI driver suspected of savage sexual assaults on two women he picked up is still working, senior sources say.

Would definitely not happen here, even in some of the nutty areas.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 9:27 pm 
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Don't know if you have to be arrested before a council would suspend?

You most certainly don't.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 9:29 pm 
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Quote:
trouble is if he hasn't yet been arrested the council may not have enough grounds to suspend or revoke but really it is quite worrying that he is still out there.

Article says.
Quote:
Gardai are preparing a file for the DPP after they arrested the driver over the attacks that happened more than three months apart.

Do you mean charged?

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 12:38 am 
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Interesting that the Gardaí source seems to think that the *arrest* would be the catalyst for stopping the suspect working, but they then seem to contradict themselves, by suggesting that the Gardaí could apply to the court for a suspension anyway:

Quote:
“At this stage what has happened are officially just accusations. There have been no charges yet so he is free to continue to work. If he was charged, certain conditions could be attached to any potential bail,” the source said.[…]

“However, gardai are considering going to the courts, where they can apply to have his taxi licence suspended for a period not exceeding three months under the Taxi Regulation Act 2013.”


Of course, the above could also be read as meaning that it's an either/or situation - he could either be charged and bailed on condition that he doesn't drive a taxi, or they could apply to the courts under the Taxi Regulation Act.

But clearly it's a different system and procedures to our own, but surprising that a country like Ireland would let a suspect drive on like that, especially when the source claims the Gardaí have got a "very strong" case against him.

On the other hand, maybe they think that 'monitoring' him is sufficient, but who knows what precisely the monitoring amounts to.


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