A Carlisle taxi driver who has convictions for road rage and unlawful possession of a firearm could be stripped of his taxi licence next week.
Gary James Burgess, 36, will appear before the city council’s regulatory panel on Wednesday after he was caught speeding at 92mph on the M74.
But a background report for councillors reveals there have been four complaints since Mr Burgess, of Kestrel Hill, Gretna, was given a hackney carriage driver’s licence in January. Two of them are described as road rage incidents.
It is alleged he chased another taxi driver in his cab and swerved in front of him on Stanwix Bank, shouting and swearing out of the window.
An elderly couple made a similar accusation a month later.
They said Mr Burgess’s taxi swerved in front of them in Kingstown Road and that he swore at them.
The report says: “The police were contacted by the couple, and they were considering a prosecution, but the couple decided not to pursue it any further.”
The report also reveals that in 2004 Mr Burgess was fined for breach of the peace after a “road rage incident”. In the same year he was given a 150-hour community-punishment order for possessing a firearm without a certificate.
The News & Star reported at the time that he was apprehended carrying an air rifle at Aglionby.
Carlisle Crown Court heard that a spring modification meant that the weapon required a firearms’ certificate.
And in 2008, Mr Burgess was fined £275 for speeding at 53mph in a 30mph area on a motorbike.
Councillors were so concerned about Mr Burgess’s record that they asked licensing manager Jim Messenger to send a warning letter when they issued his taxi licence in January.
The letter said: “Because of these convictions, I must warn you that your conduct will be closely monitored and, should there be any further offences.....it may be necessary for you to appear before the regulatory panel.”
Mr Burgess was carrying two passengers when his taxi was caught at 92mph on the A74 last month.
The speed limit on the motorway is 70mph.
The background report says: “He claimed he was on an airport run and was late for a flight.”
Councillors have a range of sanctions available from issuing a warning letter to revoking his taxi licence.
He could also be ordered to re-sit the Driving Standards Agency taxi-driving test.
Mr Burgess is now just one speeding conviction away from a ban on driving any vehicle, not just taxis.
He has nine penalty points on his driving licence, three short of automatic disqualification.
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even ones with dodgy gearboxes 