Taxi Driver Online

Taxi driver arrested on suspicion of drink driving on school run - with drink found on centre console

https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/suffolk-pol ... -1-5851508


Image: Norfolk & Suffolk's Roads & Armed Policing Team


Image: Norfolk & Suffolk's Roads & Armed Policing Team

A taxi driver was stopped on a school run by police in Bury St Edmunds today - allegedly four times over the drink drive limit with an drink on the centre console.

The Norfolk and Suffolk Roads and Armed Policing Team posted on social media today that a taxi had been stopped after being spotted driving dangerously in the west Suffolk town.

They say he has been arrested on suspicion of drink driving.

The tweet reads: “Taxi stopped on the way to a school run after being seen driving dangerously in #burystedmunds today, alcohol found in centre console.

“Arrested for #drinkdriving & has provided evidential reading of 158ugs in custody, legal limit is 35ugs.

“#fatal4 @BuryStEdsPolice #1320 #1787

Sometimes words are just not enough.

Other than maybe you couldn't make it up.

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IDFIMH

Bloke wants locking up !!!!

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Is there any need for all that ice?

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Grandad,

Starting point for that level of alcohol in breath is 12 weeks custody.

https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/of ... ised-2017/

The fact that he was a licensed driver on his way to a school run will aggravate that sentence quite considerably.

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IDFIMH

Quick work

Jail for cabbie caught with drink at hand while ‘astoundingly’ over limit

https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/bury-st-edm ... -1-5852561

A Suffolk taxi driver has been jailed for getting behind the wheel of his cab while more than four times the legal alcohol limit.


Image: Suffolk Constabulary/East Anglian Daily Times

Promise Moyo was caught with a drink nestled in the centre console of his Hyundai i40 in Bury St Edmunds on Monday afternoon.

After a night in the cells, the 46-year-old appeared before magistrates in Ipswich to admit driving with 158 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the limit being 35mcg.

A police inspector was astounded by the level of alcohol in Moyo’s system when officers stopped him in Out Risbygate just after 3pm, following a tip-off from a member of the public concerned about the manner of his driving.

Prosecutor Wayne Ablett said Moyo’s taxi was swerving across the road before being stopped and found to contain an iced alcoholic drink within the driver’s reach.

A police report suggested the cabbie had been en route to collect children from a school, but Moyo disputed the account, insisting he travelled to Asda for groceries after drinking heavily at home in Richard Walker Close.

Moyo was banned for 18 months for an excess alcohol offence in July 2002, before being banned for another year and handed a suspended jail term for driving while disqualified that October.

Mr Ablett told magistrates that Moyo’s breath test reading was so high it fell within the most serious category of sentencing guidelines.

“He not only put his own life in danger but, potentially, that of other road users and pedestrians,” he concluded, before duty solicitor Sue Threadkell said Zimbabwe-born Moyo had been in this country for 20 years, was married to an NHS nurse and provided financially for two sons, studying mechanical engineering and architecture in South Africa.

“I ask you to consider the impact of custody on his wife, who stands to lose her home, and these two studious individuals,” she said, adding that Moyo was genuinely remorseful but could not explain why he chose to drive.

Presiding magistrate Roger Newnham jailed Moyo for 18 weeks and banned him from driving for three years on release.

Inspector Chris Hinitt, of the serious collision investigation team, said: "I am completely shocked by the level of alcohol that Promise Moyo, had in his system. To get behind the wheel of a car when more than four-times the legal alcohol limit is absolutely astounding.

"Driving a licensed taxi cab in such circumstances clearly and directly imperils the lives of others. We in the Serious Collision Investigation Team - along with many other police colleagues - have seen too often the devastation caused by drink-driving and in my opinion it is completely reckless for anyone to take that risk.”

Spot on.

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IDFIMH

Fella pleaded guilty, the only issue was to suspend or immediate custody.

As the fella had previously been giving a suspended sentence, and given the very high level of alcohol in his blood, along with the fact the fella was a stopped in licensed vehicle, the court correctly, IMO, decided against suspending the sentence.

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IDFIMH

hasn't the government just issued a statement to the effect of banning short jail terms ?

under those rules he wouldn't face jail

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

It's an option in the consultation, and maybe sentences like this may make that suggestion look even more stupid.

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IDFIMH

St Edmundsbury Borough Council told about Promise Moyo's drink-driving two years before his arrest in Bury St Edmunds

https://www.buryfreepress.co.uk/news/co ... 7-9059440/

A cabbie who was caught drink-driving on his way to pick up schoolchildren had previously been reported to St Edmundsbury Borough Council.

Private hire driver Promise Moyo, who lived and worked in Bury St Edmunds, was arrested in Risbygate Street on Monday afternoon after reports he was driving erratically.

The 46-year-old was found to be more than four times the drink-drive limit, recording 158 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The limit is 35 milligrams.

On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court to driving with excess alcohol and was jailed for 18 weeks and banned from driving for three years.

A former employer told the Bury Free Press he terminated Moyo’s freelance contract after discovering his drink-driving and reported this to St Edmundsbury Borough Council.

The authority confirmed it was informed of the dismissal in February 2017, but could not act to remove his licence without police evidence or a statement.

The former employer, a 52-year-old cab driver from Bury St Edmunds, who did not wish to be named, said he took on Moyo in 2016, after he obtained a licence.

He said: “I was told he was drinking in The Grapes pub, and I followed his car as he pulled into a BP garage afterwards. He literally fell out of it.”

But Ghana-born Moyo did not struggle to find work and continued as a freelance private hire driver with other local companies, regularly doing school runs.

The former employer described Moyo as ‘generally a nice guy’ but was not surprised to learn of the arrest and said he was ‘pleased’ he was now off the road. He also said he heard nothing back from St Edmundsbury.

A spokesman for the authority said: “Without any police evidence, we would need a formal statement about the allegation in order to take any action against Moyo.

“We are also unclear whether he reported the incident when it happened to the police which, if he had, and it led to an arrest, would have automatically triggered actions against him."

Another interesting example regarding evidence, procedures and practices.

Here it doesn't look like the powers-that-be have been overzealous in their pursuit of this guy.

I mean, even if the PH op who sacked him wouldn't provide a formal statement, you'd think the council would liaise with the police in some way? Or maybe they did, but couldn't do anything, but it's not entirely clear from the piece whether there was any contact between the council and police.

Although this suggests there was no contact between the council and police at all, but whether the statement just means that they did liaise but that it was too late to do anything, isn't clear:



But by the looks of things the PH operator didn't report the drink driving incident to the police at the time, thus hardly a surprise they had no evidence to take action - I mean, it could look like a malicious complaint, or whatever.

Wonder why the PH operator didn't contact the police when he saw the driver 'falling' out of the car after coming out of the pub?

And therein lies one of the trade's major problems, owners of firms prepared to give drivers umpteen chances as long as they clear their work.

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IDFIMH