Taxi driver caught doing 100mph on the A38https://www.devonlive.com/news/taxi-dri ... ph-3136457Danny Marconi told Torbay Council’s licensing sub-committee the incident happened on the day he found out something that led to his wedding being called offA taxi driver has been suspended after he failed to report a conviction for speeding at more than 100mph on the A38 in Devon.
Danny Marconi told Torbay Council’s licensing sub-committee the incident happened on the day he found out something that led to his wedding being called off.
He was driving back to Torquay from Plymouth where he regularly stayed to help his disabled mother look after his seriously ill father.
Mr Marconi said he had been angry and was unaware of how fast he was going.
He told the hearing at Torquay: “There was no cars, the road was clear. I remember grabbing the wheel and accelerating.
“I was angry and frustrated. I knew I was speeding. It was wrong, but I did not know I was doing over 100 miles per hour.”
Councillors heard Mr Marconi was convicted of speeding at Cornwall magistrates court in October last year.
He was caught in a section of the dual carriageway at South Brent where the limit was reduced from the standard 70mph.
He was banned from driving for 40 days and given a £325 fine.
Mr Marconi failed to inform the council and did not respond to a letter, councillors were told.
The case came to light after a search of records by licensing staff.
Mr Marconi said he had not seen the letter because he had been away from home staying with his parents.
He told councillors he was “not in the right frame of mind” on the day of the offence because of the personal issues.
But other than that occasion he was fine and had continued to work without problems.
Mr Marconi said he was unaware that under the terms of his taxi licence he had to inform the council of the conviction within five days.
He had been self-employed and unable to work, but he told his insurance company straight away.
The driver said the hardest part was that he lost his income and was unable to help his mother financially.
He said he was still paying the price for the offence because his insurance had gone up and he was facing the licence review.
The sub-committee decided to suspend Mr Marconi’s taxi driver licence for three months at a hearing on Thursday morning.
The suspension will end earlier if he successfully completes a driver awareness course.
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