Taxi Driver Online

https://news.stv.tv/west-central/glasgow-private-hire-driver-suspended-after-committing-murder-while-on-duty

A private hire driver in Glasgow has been suspended after it was alleged he committed murder while on duty.

Police Scotland requested the suspension as Kunathilingam Mohanathas has been charged with murder following an incident on August 5.

An officer told the city’s licensing committee it is alleged that, while driving a private hire car, Mr Mohanathas “assaulted a named person by intentionally driving a car directly towards the named person and striking him with the car”.

Councillors were told he was “acting in his capacity as a private hire car driver at the time of the alleged offence”.

Mr Mohanathas was granted a private hire car driver’s licence and private hire car licence on March 3, 2021. Police Scotland requested the licences were suspended on August 8 this year, and, on August 9, both were suspended with “immediate effect for a period of six weeks”.

Councillors on the licensing committee have now decided to suspend both licences for the unexpired portion of their duration while Mr Mohanthas faces the allegation.

He is currently remanded in custody, the committee heard.

I suppose its possible the licensing committee views might not be his main focus at this time...

you have to wonder if he was trying to defend himself against an attack at the time or if it was pre meditatated as it's a little odd someone doing that but we'll only know in a couple of years time when this has been to trial I suspect

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

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Great headline in the Scottish Sun - not

Bad enough saying the driver 'mowed down man', but the use of quote marks implies that someone actually used those words, but it's actually only the Scottish Sun that used the phrase

At least they inserted the word 'allegedly' in the opening paragraph, but in my opinion the headline is prejudicial


MURDER CHARGE Private hire driver charged with murder after ‘mowing down man with cab while on duty’

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/1 ... r-license/

A PRIVATE hire driver has been charged with murder after allegedly mowing down a man while driving his cab.

Christopher Hanton, a “loving” dad from Chryston, North Lanarkshire, died in hospital after he was allegedly struck by the vehicle on Glasgow’s George Street on August 5.[...]

Incidentally, this is the headline and strapline in the STV piece posted by XH588 at the top of the thread, and is a bit more sober, at least compared to the Sun's:


Private hire driver suspended 'after committing murder while on duty'

It is alleged that, while driving a private hire car, he 'assaulted a person by intentionally driving directly them and striking him with the car'.

Quite shocked that they have suspended, when one considers some of the drivers they have recently licensed.

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IDFIMH

Not happy about that comment.

He may have been a PH driver, driving a PH vehicle, but part of our job is not driving our vehicles deliberately at people in the street with an aim to cause them serious harm.

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IDFIMH

Uber driver killed 'devoted dad' in city centre hit and run

https://news.stv.tv/west-central/uber-d ... it-and-run

An Uber driver has admitted killing a passenger in a hit and run.

Kunathilinghan Mohanthas fatally struck Christopher Hanton in Glasgow city centre last August 5.

Mohanthas had told the 40-year-old mortgage advisor to get out his Mercedes Vito just moments after picking him up.

He then deliberately hit Mr Hanton as he drove off leaving the dad-of-one for dead.

Mr Hanton never recovered after hitting his head on the ground and passed away in hospital days later.

Mohanthas, 48, faces prison after he pled guilty to a charge of culpable homicide at the High Court in Glasgow on Tuesday.

He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced next month.

Prosecutor Alan Cameron KC told how Mr Hanton, of Chryston, North Lanarkshire, had been on a night out with friends.

He then ordered a taxi home on the Uber app at around 10.30pm.

Mohanthas was allocated the pick up and drove to the city’s George Street where Mr Hanton was.

Mr Hanton got in the back of the car before the cabbie then got out and asked him to leave his vehicle, which he did.

Mohanthas then began a three-point turn – Mr Hanton approached the Mercedes meantime and slapped the back of the vehicle.

He ended up in front of the taxi with the car now stationery.

Mr Cameron then explained: “To complete the three-point turn, Mohanthas would have steered to the right.

“Instead, he made a sudden turn to the left towards Mr Hanton, who was struck by the front of the vehicle.

“This caused him to fall backwards and strike his head on the road.

“Mohanthas did not stop – he continued steering to the right again, completed his turn and drove off.”

Passers-by went to help a bleeding Mr Hanton. He was taken to hospital but passed away on August 9 due to his head injury.

Mohanthas walked back to the scene 15 minutes later.

He approached a police officer and admitted he had “hit” Mr Hanton.

Mohanthas, of Glasgow, stated he had refused to take the dad and claimed Mr Hanton had then started “punching” his car.

He later added: “I have not done anything to anyone deliberately.”

Mr Cameron said Mohanthas had previous convictions for dishonesty and a public order offence.

Lord Clark deferred sentencing for reports until May 13 in Kilmarnock.

The judge told Mohanthas: “You have pleaded guilty to killing a man by deliberately driving your car at him.

“You hit him causing him to fall backwards striking his head on the road.

“This was an extremely serious act of violence which has had devastating consequences.”

In a tribute following the tragedy, Mr Hanton’s family spoke of a “devoted and dedicated husband” to his wife as well as a “loving father” to his young son.

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IDFIMH

The Uber driver did a number of f***ing crazy things that night, the above was the only sensible thing he did.

Might have shaved off a year or two off his final sentence.

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IDFIMH

Likewise the guilty plea - I'm assuming legal advice was not to go to trial.

clearly there were warning signs which glasgow council ignored.

Maybe Glasgow council should be investigated for not putting the public interest first by licensing people who are on papaer not fit and proper

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The guilty plea was to gain a discount on his sentence.

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IDFIMH

It would be interesting to know why the driver asked the deceased to leave, but as is often the case we're left in the dark.

But maybe it would be instructive to know, and to that extent maybe try to prevent stuff like this happening in the first place.

I'd better stop there, though, because don't want to be accused of 'overanalysing' it all to make myself feel 'special', what with my 'jaundiced' views and all that