Taxi Driver Online

Hunt on for bogus cab driver after rape claim


POLICE were today hunting a bogus private hire car driver after a teenage girl claimed she had been raped on her way home from a night out.

The 19-year-old has told detectives how she hailed what she believed to be a private hire car outside a nightclub in the centre of Edinburgh and was then driven to a remote spot, where she was subjected to a terrifying assault in the car.

She said the Asian man then drove to the other side of the city and threw her out in a residential street in the Kingsknowe area. The girl raised the alarm by going to a nearby house, banging on the door and saying she had been raped.

The emergency services were called and she was taken to hospital. She is now said to be in a stable condition, but traumatised.

Police are studying CCTV tapes from outside the City nightclub in Market Street, from where the girl was picked up.

A police source said: "Officers are trying to gather as much evidence as possible. They are convinced it is a genuine incident and are desperate to track this guy down.

"It was either a normal car or a private hire vehicle and the driver has been described as Asian. Other than that they do not have much to go on."

A police spokeswoman said: "Lothian and Borders Police are investigating after a woman reported a sexual assault in Edinburgh sometime between last Saturday night and Sunday morning. Inquiries are ongoing."

Castle Leisure Group, which owns the City nightclub and adjoining Sportsters bar, have confirmed police are investigating the incident but declined to give any further information.

A spokesman reportedly said: "We are assisting police with their inquiries and giving them full access to all the CCTV images required."

Last year, a 26-year-old woman suffered a serious sexual assault after being picked up in the city centre by a possible bogus private hire car driver.

The victim had left the Hudson Hotel in Hope Street at the west end at around 2.15am on Sunday August 17 and got into the dark-coloured saloon.

She was driven from there to Brunstane Road South, where the man is believed to have assaulted her within the vehicle.

The suspect in that particular incident was described as black, 35 to 40 years old, medium build, with black short hair and a round face.

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

Email to council highlighting problem of taxi restriction causing the public to get into inappropriate unlicensed vehicles.

Email from Cllr Buchan pointing out that the Conservative group voted against the restriction of taxi licences.

Email from the council intimating that they were banning me from communicating with them by email.

No argument.

Councillor Keir is well aware of what is happening.

Holding him to account for the shortage of taxis which encourages members of the public to take risk (propping up the vested interest's artificial plate values), Cllr Keir's response was to ban free speech, close down opposition, silence his critics.

This is NOT acting the the public interest.

This is NOT democratic accountability.

Cllr Keir must resign NOW!!!!!

In fairness, your email was offensive.

CC

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

How so?

Scumbag is defined as "despicable and contemptible". Given the actions of these individuals, are they not fairly described?

Remember, these are the same officials who ignore the argument. The same officials promoting their restriction policy. The same officials who restrict competition to protect their own transport services. The same officials propping up artificial plate values. The same officials who refuse to allow the business of the trade to be discussed in open forum. Who liaise with trade vested interests and run the trade as a "cartel".

Well, they were warned what was going to happen. And it has. And it will happen again. Just so long as those who simply want to get home, late at night, during a busy period, are tempted to buck the rules and get into an inappropriate vehicle because they can't reasonably hail a real taxi.

There can be no doubt that the policy to artificially restrict taxis is the starting point for disaster. Colin Keir and Jim Inch are responsible for that policy.

Is there any doubt that councils construct the demand information to match the policy? They set the criteria, the parameters. They get the results they want by doing so. It's not difficult to ignore the demand indicators that would produce a positive result. Perhaps the real demand indicator now is how many sexual assaults of this kind happen in an area?

When a convener says that the demand information before him is only appropriate to the ranks surveyed and that there may be demand elsewhere. Then denies licences anyway? This is not predetermined?

Or when that same convener stated openly at the RC meeting that he wanted to "... go on record to say that the Jacobs survey is flawed". Then agreed with the decision of the committee to deny 40 licences?

CEC has just intimated an interim report that says that there is currently no significant unmet demand for taxis in Edinburgh. Do you think this latest victim agrees with that? Or, will the next?

Isn't that what is really offensive?

A shortage of Taxis in any given area does'nt mean theres a shortage PH Vehicles to be had. No one can blame PH for bogus drivers picking up the Vulnerable or the Drunk and Vulnerable in our society.

When it comes to the foolhardy things some people do their stupidity knows no bounds. this young lady should have ensured she had used a Prebooked and reputable PH company or Taxi Company or got a Taxi from a Rank. sadly this rape could have been avoided had she been more Prudent in her actions.

These rapist didnt even need to pretend they were bogus anythings as if they were hell bent on rape would just have bundled her into the vehicle anyway. sadly this ladies naivety just made the whole process somewhat simpler.

If anyone should be to blame its the local Nightclub security staff or local police that should be keeping an eye on events outside a nightclub.

If private hire would not pick up illegally the public would soon get fed up trying to flag them down

that argument doesnt hold water..this guy wasnt PH...

You're missing the point.

You want to get home. You've had a few. You're senses are clouded. Alcohol makes you do strange things.

You can't hail a taxi. The council doesn't mind this, they've got their own transport interests to consider. The trade doesn't mind, they've got their plate values and high rentals to protect.

So you can't hail a cab. It's always been thus, so no one bothers to complain. The level of expectancy is traditionally low.

So you know of PH. You "persuade" one to buck the system and let you hire him on the street.

Except, you didn't check whether he even was a PH. You get in. The rest is ....

It may one perp doing this. But its two females we know of. Possibly, probably, many more.

Had these girls had a more reasonable chance to hail a real taxi, perhaps they could have avoided the harm that befell them.
But a council can't claim to be protecting the public unless and until its done everything possible to do so. Restriction taxis artificially places the benchmark way below what should be the level in Edinburgh.

The council are substantially at fault here. No mistake.

Its the age old problem....To many hacks at quiet times not enough at Busy times, nothing can change that so thats where PH comes in...The clever people book transport home and the less bright tend to leave it to chance. but whatever the reasons the simple fact is the poor girl didnt Jump into either a Taxi or a Ph...she just jumped into the first car that stopped....her mistake.

I cant believe you'd stoop so f*cking low as this Jim



CC

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

That's rubbish Jasbar and you know it, the capacity of the Edinburgh Cab trade is between 6500 and 7000 passengers over the whole fleet if every vehicle was out at the same time, of course there are just over four and a half vehicles to every rank space on their official list as well.

I would say you are using these incidents to further your already tenuous arguments for de-restriction.

It's a disgraceful attitude, it's indecorous and you are a Buffoon.

Are you sleepwalking Stu?

The simple fact is these incidents happen because there is not a taxi available when required. The public now have an expectation that taxis are difficult to come by. Phoning a taxi company can often be met with the fone ringing out. Or a long delay.

I'm not saying that de-restriction would prevent these incidents. People do what people do.

But no council can claim that they are doing everything possible when they artificially restrict the number of hailable taxis operating. That's just plain fact.

No extra taxis for 7 years.

That the trade still resists de-restriction after incidents like shows that it will tolerate any number of such incidents, just so long as its greed is protected.

Too many taxis at quiet times, not enough at busy times - that's OK because we're protecting the trade?

That's nonsense. Market forces will match the number of taxis operating to the availability of customers. That's what happens in a free market.

Wanna bet while these girls, and others like them, are struggling to hail a cab, taxis are parked up all over the city. Drivers and owners satisfied that they've made their wedge and tough on those who are trying to hail a cab. That's serving the public?

I would have no problem with this, as long as others were allowed to meet that demand, serve the public that those who have stopped working don't want to.

The situation is now so bad, has been for so long, the public don't bother to complain. They don't even recognise the problem.

This is about keeping artificial plate values high, along with the high rentals that are encouraged because of the artificial shortage of taxis.

West Lothian has just de-restricted. It's only a matter of time.

Had those who wanted their own taxi chipped in just £100, the matter would be over already.