Taxi Driver Online

A CARER has been refused a private hire licence to drive his disabled wife to work because he forgot to declare a 25-year-old conviction for theft.

Robin Acock, who is unemployed, wanted the licence from Wychavon District Council so he could drive his wife to and from work in Malvern.

His 43-year-old wife Mandy suffered a stroke in July last year, resulting in her developing epilepsy which prevents her driving.

Government funding is available for someone to drive Mrs Acock to and from work.

Mr Acock, aged 45, a former HGV driver, of High Street, Evesham, thought that by becoming a private hire driver he could carry out the task and boost their income by claiming the Government funding.

Mr Acock said he did not try to mislead Wychavon District Council but was only given a short time to think if he had any previous convictions when he asked about the licence at Pershore Civic Centre in November.

He said he was not aware of any other issues which would have prevented his application being approved.

The conviction for siphoning off a gallon of petrol was when he was 20 years old.

He ran out of petrol in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, and with two others took the fuel.

He was told this month he would not be granted a licence after CRB checks revealed the conviction which he had not disclosed.

He said: “The council has now told me I am not a fit and proper person to transport my wife to and from work as I forgot I had a conviction for theft 25 years ago.

“I am gutted. It was a big change when my wife had a stroke and developed epilepsy and now they have kicked us up the backside completely. It’s brought life to a standstill.”

Mr Acock even used his £2,000 savings to buy a Peugeot 406 suitable to be used as a private hire car.

My Acock is still haunted by the memory of his wife’s stroke which happened on a caravan holiday.

He said: “I witnessed it. It is almost like watching someone crumbling in front of you. She didn’t know who I was and she couldn’t speak clearly. It completely tipped our lives upside down.”

Mrs Acock still has no feeling in her inside left leg calf muscle and has epilepsy.

Graham Simms, licensing unit leader at Wychavon District Council, said: "We can’t comment on an individual case. But we consider most carefully whether or not applicants are fit and proper to hold a licence to drive private hire or hackney carriage vehicles. This is to protect the travelling public. Unsuccessful applicants have a right of appeal to the magistrates court.”

http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/

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

If he really cared He'd drive her because she was his wife and do it either for free or at worst as a Volunteer driver...seems bloody greedy and callous to me that he wants to build a business out of ferrying his disabled wife around...at you and I's expense no doubt.

Good thing he's been barred then....

We have parents around here that get the funding from county hall to take their kids to school and they are told that they don't need to be badged!

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Grandad,

It just make you think......"Whats the Point of it all"

Parents getting paid to take their own Bairns to school...

Same round here, it's cheaper than paying £25 each way for a taxi when they can pay the parents £3 -£4 each way.

What about the Motabilty vehicles that some parents get? Aren't these supposed to be used to take the child to school?

Nahh...Motability Vehicles are for the parents to Collect their Lambert and Butlers..

If they are being paid more than 40p a mile then they are breaking the law.

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IDFIMH

However back to the thread's main point.

Should a driver be refused a license due to a conviction of stealing a gallon of fuel 20 years ago?

In my view no, and he will win on appeal.

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IDFIMH

What they should be asking themselves is... would they feel safe allowing their family to be driven from A to B by this driver knowing the 20 years ago he had been convicted of stealing a gallon of petrol.... the mind boggles...FJB..

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

His conviction does not really matter. His false declaration means he is not fit and proper.

I just about did not get my badge for stealing apples

If this was the chaps one and only appearance in court, I can't see how you could "forget" that you have had a conviction. You may forget exactly when it was but not that you had the conviction. However if on the other hand he has had quite a few convictions over the years it may then have slipped his mind and he did forget this one.
I mean, I remember getting pulled over for a wobbley wheel on my moped when I was 17. I can even remember the date, where it was and the time of day. Before that I can remember the only time that I have been to court and that was as a witness and I never even got called to give evidence. Both of these events happened a lot longer ago than 25 years so I think he was trying to cheat the system and got caught out.

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Grandad,

His false declaration might mean he is not fit and proper, but a court will decide that he is.

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IDFIMH

I think he'll win. Some councils can get arsey when a CRB flags something up from 20 years ago.