Plenty of detail here, but would be interesting to know precisely how fast he was going...
Sunderland taxi driver who broke speed limit four times loses appeal to renew licencehttps://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/no ... g-21173886Jalal Uddin Ahmed, of Greetlands Road, committed a fourth speeding offence while waiting for an appealA taxi driver who broke the speed limit four times has lost an appeal to have his licence renewed.
Jalal Uddin Ahmed had appealed against a decision of Sunderland City Council's Licensing and Regulatory Committee that oversees more than 1,000 Sunderland taxi licences.
Mr Ahmed, of Greetlands Road, Sunderland, had been licensed by the council since April 2017.
He had received a warning about his future licensing conduct in March 2019 because of speeding offences in October 2017 and October 2018 on his DVLA driver’s licence.
One of the terms for holding a taxi licence is that a driver is required to inform the council of any motoring offences within 72 hours.
Mr Ahmed had failed to do this for the second personal speeding offence.
When Mr Ahmed applied to renew his taxi licence in March 2020, checks with the DVLA showed a third speeding offence in September 2019.
This third offence of driving in excess of a 30mph limit had not been notified to the council, or declared on his taxi licence renewal application.
At its meeting in November 2020, the council’s licensing committee decided Mr Ahmed was not a fit and proper person to hold a licence and therefore refused his renewal request.
Mr Ahmed was able to drive pending an appeal that would be heard by magistrates.
While Mr Ahmed’s appeal was pending he committed a fourth speeding offence in February 2021.
As he had nine points on his DVLA licence, he undertook a speed awareness course.
Magistrates at South Tyneside then went onto dismiss his appeal against the council’s decision.
The decision not to renew his taxi licence was then upheld at Newcastle Crown Court on Friday, July 23. The court’s overriding consideration was public safety and protection.
While Mr Ahmed was presently ‘not considered to be a fit and proper person to hold a licence to drive Hackney carriage vehicles,’ His Honour Judge Adams, who was sitting with a magistrate, commented that Mr Ahmed could submit a new application at some point in the future.
Councillor Jill Fletcher, chair of the council committee that oversees taxi licences, said: "The Licensing and Regulatory Committee does not take its decisions lightly. The decision to refuse to renew a licence is a significant decision.
"Councillors sitting on this important committee have a duty to protect public safety and to ensure that residents, visitors and those working in Sunderland have confidence that when they use licensed taxi vehicles their journey will be a safe one.
"In undertaking our licensing functions, public safety is our paramount consideration. Motoring convictions while licensed can demonstrate that a professional driver is not taking their responsibilities seriously.
"We welcome and note how the Crown Court upheld our original decision."
Condition 6 of the city's taxi licensing terms states that: 'A driver shall within seventy-two hours disclose to the Council in writing details of any caution(s) or conviction(s) for any offence(s).
'The Council will then decide whether the licence should be suspended or revoked, having regard to the offence(s).'
Steve Wearing, the council’s Principal Licensing Officer, added: "It is vitally important that this provision is complied with by all licensed drivers operating within the city.
"They can now report cautions and convictions using the new online reporting form which can be found on the council’s website on the taxi and private hire licensing page.
"The reporting requirement under Condition 6 is to report in writing.
"This could be by e-mail, a letter, or via the online reporting form. Leaving a telephone message is not sufficient.
"All of Mr Ahmed’s speeding matters occurred while working as a licensed driver.
"The fact he admitted a further speeding offence after the decision not to renew his licence and before his appeal to the magistrates was concerning."
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