Taxi Driver Online

'Taxi' driver fails in bid to regain lost licence

A ST Albans 'taxi' driver whose licence was revoked has failed in his bid to get it back.

Syed Hadami was a private hire driver when he was convicted in February this year at Luton Crown Court of perverting the course of justice by supplying false details to the police.

He appealed against the revocation of his licence at St Albans Magistrates Court where the bench heard from the council's senior licensing officer Karen Hollands that lying to police was a serious offence of dishonesty and he was no longer a fit and proper person to hold a licence.

The magistrates agreed saying they had heard no evidence from Mr Hamdani, who lives in Luton, to persuade them that he was fit to have a licence.

They also said they found his claim that he had failed to disclose all matters on the application form because he did not understand it hard to believe given the number of years he had been a taxi driver.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Hospital fight costs cabbie his licence

A CABBIE found guilty of fighting in a hospital has had his licence revoked by magistrates.

Mohammed Anwar Khan, aged 27, who worked as a private hire driver in St Albans, fought the decision to ban him after he was found guilty of affray at Luton Crown Court in September last year.

Khan, a married man with two children and who lives in Luton, appealed against the revocation at St Albans Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Judith Adamson, for St Albans District Council, said Khan first had his licence suspended when he was arrested in January 2006.

But he appealed that decision and magistrates ordered it to be restored to him pending the outcome of his trial.

Khan told the court the offence concerned an evening when he had hurt his hand in a pub and had to be treated at Luton and Dunstable Hospital. While he was there in a cubicle being treated he heard his brother outside involved in a fight and intervened.

But he failed to notify the council when he was found guilty and sentenced to a community service order.

Kathryn Hirst, for Khan, said her client had not realised he was supposed to do this despite having worked as a cabbie in his brother's firm for more than five years.

She asked magistrates to take into account the many character references sent in by Khan's regular customers.

Chairman of the bench Mrs Julie Ryan said that she and her colleagues accepted Khan was a conscientious worker but that he had been remiss in not notifying the council of his conviction.

She said: "We have taken into account all the legal precedents but the offence was in a public place and it is a short time since it was committed."

Magistrates also ordered Khan, who gets Jobseekers Allowance, to pay a £300 contribution towards the council's costs.

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin