Error by police sees driver receive taxi licence A POLICE error meant West Dunbartonshire Council granted a Yoker man a taxi licence without knowing he had a previous conviction.
Biju Thomas, of Mellerstain Grove, declared he had been disqualified from driving for 20 months and was hit with a £300 fine after he was found to be driving under the influence of alcohol in 2013 when he applied to the licensing committee.
However, Sargeant Simpson admitted an “administrative error” meant Police Scotland did not put forward this matter as an objection to the application when the application appeared on June 30 last year.
Mr Thomas was subsequently granted a taxi license for one year.
Mr McQuire, the applicant’s lawyer, said: “He provided full details and declares his conviction in relation to the drink-driving matter in the original form and a copy of that form went to Police Scotland.
“It would seem this was a result of an administrative error on the police’s part – how that’s possible I don’t know.”
He added: “He was granted a licence and has been driving for around a period of eight months without incident.”
But Mr Thomas had also failed to disclose a second conviction having been caught driving more than 90 miles per hour in a 70 miles per hour stretch of road back in 2011.
His lawyer stated it was a misjudgement on his client’s part, who had forgotten to reveal the conviction as it was spent.
Councillor Lawrence O’Neill, chair of the committee, said: “I think it’s fair to say that there have been quite a catalogue of errors, not just on the police’s part.
“It may have been that the committee may have made a different decision.
“In fairness to the applicant he did declare that.
“I’m going to move that he continue to hold his license.”
The license was unanimously granted.
source:
http://www.dumbartonreporter.co.uk/news ... i_licence/
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