Western Mail
June 21, 2006, Wednesday
HEADLINE: I've seen it all-girls doing their make-up, salesmen on phones and drivers reading maps
BYLINE: SALLY WILLIAMS AND GARETH MORGAN Western Mail
Hey are the Kings of the Road, racking up more miles than anybody else, and now the nation's professional drivers give their verdict on a latest study into bad driving habits. Hauliers, deliverymen and taxi drivers see more than their fair share of crazy driving during their many hours on the roads of Wales. So many weren't surprised at a new survey revealing that the Welsh are worst when it comes to bad habits like eating, texting or map reading behind the wheel.
A whopping 90% of Welsh people admitted to potentially dangerous habits, as well as more high-profile sins like speeding or drink-driving.
Cyril Davies, a self-employed van driver from Flint, said, 'This does not shock me - I've seen it all. 'Girls on the phone and doing their hair and make-up, salesmen on phones, drivers reading maps in the fast lane of motorways - I have even seen one man working on a laptop while driving.
'It annoys me when I see parents who let their children travel with no seat belts in the back.' The research demonstrates the dangerous driving that may have contributed to the estimated 198,980 accidents on Britain's roads. Many commuters or busy parents are guilty of eating, smoking, applying make-up, map reading and tuning in the car stereo.
But they can be charged with careless driving or not being in proper control of a vehicle, if caught. Earlier this year, with a compact mirror in one hand and an eye liner in the other, Donna Maddock, 22, from Mold, applied her make-up while driving at 32mph. She was caught by police who filmed her and was fined pounds 200 and had six points put on her licence after pleading guilty to careless driving.
Dai Owen, who owns JD Owen Transport haulage firm in Caerwys, also said he has seen driving standards fall across Wales and England during his 48 years on the road. 'I think the standard of car driving, not speed, is the cause of most accidents.
'Truck drivers are a professional bunch and we see people driving with phones wedged on their shoulders, kids standing in the back seats obscuring their rear view and drivers pulling out suddenly and carving us up.'
Jason Pritchard of Beeches Taxis in Newport says he sees about five people a week driving while holding a mobile phone. He said, 'I have a headset but I see loads of drivers on mobiles and I leave them to it. If they get caught and fined it is up to them. 'I can see why there is road rage, some people can become quite aggressive at the wheel. 'I always eat at home but I see lots of drivers chomping away.
'Slow drivers annoy me, you see more of them on Sundays, but I just wait until it is safe to overtake. But tailgaters are my pet hate, a couple of people have driven into the back of my vehicle.' However, he said that tiredness was an issue.
'Taxi drivers can work long shifts and airport runs to Gatwick can hit you because flights are never at 2pm in the afternoon, they are always in the early hours. 'But I think London drivers are far worse than the Welsh; they are more erratic.' Richard Clark, car insurance manager with Sainsbury's Bank, said, 'Motorists should think carefully about their driving habits as many may not have considered the dangers.' The findings reveal 12.7m men have embarked on some form of dangerous activity, compared with 10m women drivers in the UK.: Wheely bad behaviour:Confessions of Welsh motorists driving while… Feeling tired (35%) Eating and drinking (31%) Speeding (26%) Hungover (23%) Using a mobile (14%) Wearing flip-flops or no shoes at all (14%) Map reading (11%) Too slow (11%) After having an alcoholic drink (10%) Without a seatbelt (10%)
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Unrelated sections of this article have been removed by JD. I would just like to add a note of caution about this article and that is although there is an allegation against a minicab driver and a reference to a Taxi there is no concrete evidence to suggest the vehicle this lady complains about was indeed a minicab or a Taxi. The vehicle in question might have been nothing more than a normal saloon car driven by a member of the public who had no relationship with either the licensed Taxi or Private hire trade.
Daily Mail (London)
June 20, 2006 Tuesday
HEADLINE: IS IT TIME TO PUT RAPE ON TRIAL?
Only one in twenty reported rapes leads to a conviction. FRAN ABRAMS has spoken to the bitter victims who feel that they have been desperately let down by the system
BYLINE: FRAN ABRAMS
Take Leigh, for example. In her 30s and married with three children, Leigh went out with a girlfriend one night in February last year.
But on leaving a nightclub in Nottingham city centre, she found her friend had disappeared. Her mobile battery had failed, so she was unable to phone her husband to come and fetch her as arranged.
She hopped into a minicab and gave the driver her address. But the man, who she believes was Turkish, did not take Leigh home. He pulled up outside a house, and demanded she go inside with him for sex.
When she refused, he drove her to a quiet lane and raped her. 'He was slapping and hitting me around the head and shouting at me, saying I was a white slut and I should be at home with my husband.
'All I kept thinking was I had to get out alive. I didn't want my husband and my children to be left wondering if I'd gone off with this man, wondering why I was found in this lane.' AFTER the attack, Leigh managed to get out of the car and ran to a nearby farm, where the farmer found her, semi- conscious, on his doorstep early the next morning.
Leigh was taken to a police station and left in the care of a young female officer, who, she says, was kindness personified. But it was nine hours before a doctor examined her.
And the sympathetic female officer did not spend all day with her. She was taken back to the site by two male officers, who left her alone in the back of their car while they went to talk to colleagues.
'At that moment I felt my whole world was falling in,' she says. 'I had been raped in the back of a car, at that same spot, less than nine hours earlier.
I was absolutely terrified.' Back at the police station, one of the male officers asked if she would like to change her story. He said he had seen CCTV footage of her getting into a car with two men. She spent the night doubting herself, and wondering if her husband would doubt her, too.
But on seeing the film the next morning, she pointed out that the woman was someone else entirely.
Later, she was told there was a local prostitute who shared her name. It seemed the police had suspected she might have gone willingly with the man - or even with two - for sex.
'They had spent all those hours looking at CCTV footage - of the wrong person. I had done nothing wrong - but I felt as if I had to prove it, to defend myself,' says Leigh. She believes those lost hours are one reason her attacker has never been caught.
Also, a police officer failed to pick up vital CCTV footage from a local club - footage that clearly showed her getting into the taxi and which could have identified the car's registration. When the police finally returned to collect the tape, it had been wiped.
Now, with the help of the charity Victim Support, Leigh plans to attend training sessions for specialist rape officers, in the hope that it might help other women who are raped in future. 'There were so many little things that went wrong, that were avoidable,' she says. 'It made the whole experience worse than it needed to be.' Leigh struggled for months to keep her life on an even keel - she never told her children what had happened.
She did tell her husband, who believed her and supported her through her ordeal. Then, on holiday with the friend who had been with her that fatal night, she broke down and admitted she needed help.
'I don't think I can ever really get over it,' she says. 'But you learn to cope. I'm probably just a distant memory to him. While I've been going through all this, he has been carrying on as normal.' A spokeswoman for Nottinghamshire Police said the investigation into Leigh's case was still ongoing. It did treat her case seriously, she said, and its officers kept her well informed about what they were doing and why. A great deal of CCTV footage had been recovered and viewed, she said - though she declined to comment on whether vital evidence had been lost.
There is still hope that Leigh's attacker will eventually be prosecuted. The police found his DNA on her jeans and logged it on a national database, so if he is picked up even for a minor offence he will be caught.
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We once had a subscriber to TDO who ventured into the Fast Tan business, unfortunately for him the business proved to be a failure and he has now re-established himself back in the taxi trade. Perhaps if he had persevered he may have been as successful as the entrepreneurs who peddle the famous Taxi brand of cosmetics.
I don't suppose any of the guys in Torquay have a need for "eye shadow", "facial cream" or "long lasting lipstick" but if they do, they might wish to have a look at their own personal branded range of cosmetics which is being offered exclusively at "Hoopers" in Torquay? lol.
Herald Express (Torquay)
June 20, 2006 Tuesday
HEADLINE: Taxi range parks up in Bay store
A new cosmetics company has chosen a Torquay store to be the first in the country to stock its range of portable essentials.
Taxi London will be unveiling its collection of "make up on the move" at Hoopers in Torquay this weekend.
Created by North Devon-based Pete Kelly, the brand is already a big seller in Japan. Hoopers will be the first UK outlet.
Pete is no stranger to the beauty industry having past experience working with and developing products for many of the worlds leading cosmetic labels such as Bobbi Brown, Stila and Pout.
He explained: "As a Devon company, we wanted to establish Taxi's first UK foothold in the South West, and there was no better outlet than Hoopers." He continued: "We have created a range which concentrates upon essential make-up you'd take out with you on a night out - everything you need and nothing you don't."
Philip Steer, Hoopers general manager and perfumery controller, added: "We are delighted to be the first UK outlet for the Taxi range.
"Our Torquay store is first, followed soon by our sister branches in Wilmslow and Tunbridge Wells. The products, price points, packaging and fantastic colour range make them perfect for our young fashion department Attitude."
Within the range, Taxi's new concept is portable packaging called "passengers". Passengers mean shoppers can use products on their own or click together with another to create their own customised duo.
The capsule range includes lipgloss (£6.50), mascara (£7) and plump at (£7.50). Also on sale will be long lasting lipstick £8 and lush lipshine (£7).
New products are in the pipeline and include limited edition shades, eyeshadow and concealer to add to the 'passengers' range, gift collections and travel brush sets.
The full Taxi London range can be viewed at the website -
www.taxicosmetics.com The company was formed by Pete and his wife Jane Williamson in June 2004.
The full range made its international debut in November 2005 at Cosmoprof Asia in Hong Kong after 20 months in development. All products are designed and manufactured in Europe.
New products to be added to the Taxi range soon include 'passengers' eyeshadows in eight cream to powder shades (£6.50), 'passengers' concealer (£6.50), double ended kohl/brow pencil (£5.50) and compacts of pressed powder eyeshadow and lip gloss (£10).
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