Taxi Driver Online

Cornish Guardian

November 29, 2006 Wednesday

HEADLINE: 'Foolish thing'

A taxi driver held onto an East Looe teenager's shoes and purse when she tried to make off without paying a £12 fare. The girl ran away for a second time when police were called but was traced by information in the purse, Bodmin Magistrates were told.

Zoe Thompson, 18, of Quay Street, was told to pay £12 compensation to the driver after pleading guilty to the offence when she appeared before the court on Thursday.

Prosecutor Mrs Jill Wilson said on May 26, Thompson and a friend took a taxi from Station Road, East Looe, to Liskeard.

As the taxi approached Liskeard station, the driver noticed that the two girls were "very jumpy". Thompson's friend said she needed to get out of the taxi to go to the toilet and when she did so, both girls ran away.

The taxi driver followed and held onto Thompson's shoes and purse.

Thompson told police she had drunk eight or nine bottles of lager and panicked when she realised she did not have the funds to pay the fare. Her fiancée had asked her to go to Liskeard.

After apologising to the court, Thompson said she wanted to pay the driver for his loss.

Imposing a 12-month conditional discharge, as well as the compensation and an order for £20 costs, the magistrates told Thompson she had done a "very foolish thing".
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Well then WTF didn't she do it in the intervening 6 months?

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IDFIMH

Here in Scotia there's every chance the taxi driver would have been charged with stealing the shoes and purse.

But the way this story is written, anyone who wants to pay their fare by credit, all they have to do is a runner. Albeit the penalty charge represents a huge interest rate, but then there's the chance you might get away with it.

My experience is that its often not worth pursuing runners. Given the time wasted trying to involve the police, it's often better, and cheaper, to put it down to experience and take the hit.

Quite agree with jasbars theory on this one, my last runner about a month ago was for the princely sum of £2.90 i know it is at the end of the day theft, but by the time i go to the police station, wait for an officer to take a statement etc etc blah blah, i'd rather put it down to experience and go find another hire. I have also over the years developed a bit of photographic memory of these runners, pukers and general yahoos and next time they are standing in the piddling rain arm aloft..........