Taxi Driver Online

Evening Times (Glasgow)

September 3, 2007

Cabbie tried to bite lover's nose off . . . but keeps licence;

Drinking session led to violence in city flat

HIGHLIGHT: Robert Robertson punched and kicked his partner after she "noised him up" in their South Side home

A TAXI driver who tried to bite his girlfriend's nose off has been allowed to keep his cab licence despite protests from cops.

Robert Robertson, 46, pinned his partner to the ground and punched and kicked her during a drinking session at their Glasgow flat.

And he told officers who were called to the incident: "She noised me up so I tried to bite her nose off."

The case emerged at a meeting of Glasgow City Council's licensing committee, where police objected to a series of applications for hackney and private hire licences because of drivers' past convictions.

Hackney driver Robertson was quizzed by councillors over the incident in December 2005 and said his partner Carol - who accompanied him to the licensing hearing - was "50-per cent to blame".

He said: "The two of us had too much to drink. The next day Carol admitted she started it. "I've driven taxis for 23 years and haven't been in any trouble."

Chief Inspector Stuart Neill, from Strathclyde Police's licensing section, said: "He was drunk and assaulted a female by kicking and punching her about the head and the body.

"He then knelt over her and bit her nose. Officers attending the incident saw the female had bite marks on both sides of her nose."

Robertson, of Preston Street, Govanhill, was convicted of assault and domestic abuse and fined GBP400 at Glasgow Sheriff Court in January last year. He also had a minor road traffic offence on record, said Mr Neill.

But councillors on the committee voted by five to three to allow Robertson a renewal of his taxi licence for a restricted period of one year, rather than the two he had requested. He was also given a "severe warning" about his future conduct.

At the same meeting, a man who was seen having sex with a prostitute in his private hire car was granted a private hire licence despite concerns raised by police.

Ian Murray, 47, of Torrance, East Dunbartonshire, was arrested in September 2005 after being spotted having sex with the woman at Hunter Street, Calton, Glasgow, a notorious place for prostitution.

Police at the meeting said Murray later admitted regularly using his taxi to pick up prostitutes, but he denied this when addressing the councillors.

The committee voted by six to two in favour of renewing his private hire licence for a restricted period of one year.

At the same meeting several taxi and private hire licences were turned down.

They included James Johnston, 64, of Merryland Street, Govan, who was convicted of a police assault in 1998 after resisting arrest when officerswerecalledtoa domestic abuse incident.

He had also been convicted of another assault in 1990, and an indecent exposure in 1979 for which he was fined GBP30.

Councillors pressed him on details of the indecent exposure, as police had no further information, but Mr Johnston said: "It was a stag night, 28 years ago. I have no recollection."
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