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PostPosted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 2:33 am 
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Sometimes plying for hire is wrongly described as touting, but this actually looks like a touting offence that was prosecuted as plying for hire. Maybe not quite enough evidence for touting, though.


Taxi driver caught illegally picking up passengers in sting operation

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/burton ... ng-3716334

He has now been banned

A private hire taxi driver has been banned from the roads after being caught illegally picking up passengers during a council operation.

The driver was caught when he unsuspectingly picked up two council enforcement officers carrying out checks at last year's Download Festival, a court has heard.

The two officers were taking part in a crackdown at the rock festival, which attracts 80,000 people to Donington Park each year. The driver was nabbed on Sunday, June 16, as the North West Leicestershire District Council officers monitored taxis as they carried out test purchases.

The officers were stood at the coned off 'no loading' area near the pedestrian entrance to the transport hub on the A453 when Nasar Hussain’s taxi pulled over to approach them.

Private hire vehicles must by law be pre-booked, but Hussain gestured to the licensing officers and asked them if they needed a taxi, the court was told.

The officers agreed to get in the car, but got Hussain to pull over shortly after their journey began, when he was cautioned and told he had committed a plying for hire offence.

Now Hussain, 31, and of Lennox Road in Stoke-on-Trent, has been dealt with by the courts.

He pleaded guilty ahead of a hearing at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, December 18, and was given six points on his driving licence which led to him being disqualified from driving for six months due to points already accumulated on his licence.

Hussain was also fined £240 and ordered to pay the council’s costs of £500 and a victim surcharge of £30.

A private hire vehicle is not insured to carry passengers that don’t have a booking, making the offence a serious matter and putting passengers at increased risk, said a spokesman for the council.

After the hearing, district councillor Andrew Woodman said: "Private hire drivers are fully aware of the law and that picking passengers up without a booking puts the customer in an incredibly vulnerable position, and voids their insurance.

"Our enforcement officers regularly conduct test purchases at big events like Download, but also in our town centres, and cases like this one show we won’t tolerate this offence. This driver has lost his driving licence as a result.

"People can help us by not flagging down private hire taxis in the street. Pre-book your journeys or head to an official taxi rank and don’t put yourself in a difficult situation."


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 2:35 am 
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Quote:
...Hussain gestured to the licensing officers and asked them if they needed a taxi, the court was told.

[-X

Quote:
"People can help us by not flagging down private hire taxis..."

Might also help if licensing councillors used the correct terminology :roll:


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 1:18 pm 
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Location: Stamford Britains prettiest town till SKDC ruined it
I'm guessing he had a fare to Donington Park and thought he would hang around otherwise that's a longish way to go on the off chance of picking up work

Now the best he can hope for is a job flipping burgers next year :lol:

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 7:18 pm 
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Private hire vehicles must by law be pre-booked, but Hussain gestured to the licensing officers and asked them if they needed a taxi, the court was told.

Defo a touting offence.

If he hadn't beckoned the officers then it could be a plying offence.

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 7:49 pm 
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edders23 wrote:
I'm guessing he had a fare to Donington Park and thought he would hang around otherwise that's a longish way to go on the off chance of picking up work

Yes, and anyone reading the article who didn't know the geography would be forgiven for assuming that it was one of the council's own PHVs. That's certainly how I read it initially - you would assume that if it was out-of-area then that would be a crucial fact worth mentioning.

Mystery solved, however. The council's press release states that the PHD was licensed by Stoke-on-Trent Council:

North West Leicestershire District Council wrote:
Hussain, 31, of Lennox Road, Stoke on Trent, and who was licensed by Stoke on Trent City Council, pled guilty ahead of the hearing on Wednesday 18 December.

https://www.nwleics.gov.uk/news/2020/01 ... oad_pickup

So although the newspaper report simply rehashes the council's press release, it omits the crucial fact that the driver was licensed by Stoke-on-Trent Council.

To be fair to the newspaper, it does include the fact that the driver's address is in Stoke, which is probably of more interest to its readers than where he's licensed. Of course, for readers on here the licensing authority is the more interesting fact.

Interestingly, the Stoke Sentinel has also rehashed the North West Leicestershire District Council press release, and has highlighted the fact that the driver is from Stoke, which is obviously the crucial point for its readers:

Stoke-on-Trent taxi driver banned from roads after being caught illegally picking up passengers in sting

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/st ... ed-3717390

Nasar Hussain unwittingly gave a lift to two council enforcement officers


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