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PostPosted: Wed Sep 30, 2026 10:55 pm 
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This isn't job, so to that extent it's just of historical interest to readers on here - the offences seemed to take place long before he was badged, and he's only now been convicted of those offences.

But note the highlighted paragraph - he was convicted of a similar offence in 2003, and spent 10 years on the sex offences register :-o

So I wonder when and why he was granted a badge, presumably sometime between 2013 and fairly recently...


Edinburgh taxi driver jailed for sex attacks on two girls

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scot ... s-37719378

Akbar Ali, 47, has been locked up for the historic sexual abuse of two young girls in the capital.

A convicted sex offender working as a taxi driver in Scotland’s capital city has been jailed for the historic sexual abuse of two young girls three decades ago.

Akbar Ali, 47, was convicted after trial of attempting to rape a girl in an Edinburgh flat between September 1996 and December 1998. His victim, who was aged between 16 or 17 at the time, gave evidence that she was asleep when Ali sexually assaulted her, a jury heard.

He removed her clothing, tried to penetrate her vagina and anus with his penis and continued the attempted rape after she woke up. Ali attacked his second victim in the same Edinburgh flat between October 2005 and October 2006 when she was just 14 years old.

The youngster told how Ali – then aged around 27 himself – removed her clothing and touched her breasts and buttocks. Both girls were temporarily in his care in what a judge said should have been a position of trust and safety for them at the time.

It was only after a jury returned unanimous verdicts finding him guilty of the sexual offences that it emerged that he had a similar previous conviction dating from 2003 which had resulted in him spending 10 years on the sex offenders register.

Lisa Gillespie KC, defending, said there was much that could be said for the man that her client was today. He had been happily married for 18 and a half years and had two children, a daughter of 11 and a son of 14 who described him as “the best dad in the world”.

She told the High Court at Livingston: “The effect his sentence will have on his wife and children weighs heavily on his mind. I don’t seek to draw any false equivalence between the impact on his family and the impact on the complainers whose victim impact statements are eloquent of the impact this has had on them. The fact remains his wife and children miss him and he’s desperately worried about them.”

She described the accused as a “workaholic” holding down two jobs at a time and said he was proactively looking for things he could do in the prison estate, including signing up as a “diversity ambassador” and working with criminal justice charities.

She said he had been assessed as being at low risk of sexual reoffending while his wife had described herself as “shocked and deeply upset” by his convictions.

His wife added: “It’s very difficult for me to reconcile this happened with the man I've known and lived with for the last 18 and a half years. I don’t recognise the man as the husband and father I know today.”

Ms Gillespie said that the accused had told her that what he had done years ago as a child and a young man was “grievously wrong". However, she added: “He has long since stepped from that path and become a model citizen.”

Passing sentence, Judge Susan Craig reminded Ali that the jury had unanimously found him guilty of two extremely serious offences of sexually assaulting two females, one of whom had just started at primary school.

She told him: “You weren’t a child at the time of the first assault, you were an adult, and you assaulted them in a way that involved a serious breach of trust and it has clearly had a significant on each of your victims.

“You took advantage of them when they were in your care and you assaulted them sexually in their place of safety where they should have felt protected and able to live free of fear.

“Also, you took this matter to trial and that required your victims to give evidence to this court and it’s a matter of concern that you have a directly analogous conviction for a sexual offence on a young person.

“You have a record for three separate sexual assaults committed over several years against three separate victims. In your case, given the totality of your offending behaviour, only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”

Ali, of Cameron Toll Gardens, Edinburgh, was sentenced to a total of six years in prison. The judge also imposed non harassment orders banning him from ever approaching or contacting his two victims again.

In addition she said his name would remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely and his conviction would be passed to Scottish Ministers to ensure he would be barred from working with vulnerable groups.

Detective Inspector Steph Garnett said: “Ali subjected child victims to years of horrific abuse, causing lasting trauma and having a profound impact on their lives. I would like to acknowledge their incredible strength in coming forward, and throughout the investigation and court process.

"Sexual crime of any kind has no place in society and we remain committed to supporting victims and bringing those responsible to justice. I would encourage anyone who has experienced sexual assault to report it to police. Every report will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated."


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 30, 2026 10:55 pm 
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Joined: Wed May 16, 2012 6:33 am
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So presumably he's held a badge until he was prosecuted for the offences he's just been sentenced for.

But not clear how the Daily Record has picked up on the 'taxi' angle - the official police press release doesn't mention it at all, nor do the judge's official sentencing remarks.

Even the local Edinburgh Evening News report doesn't mention the t-word.


Six-year prison sentence for man who sexually assaulted children in Edinburgh

https://www.scotland.police.uk/what-s-h ... edinburgh/



HMA v Ali Akbar

https://www.judiciary.scot/home/sentenc ... -ali-akbar



Six years in jail for man who sexually assaulted children in Edinburgh

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/ ... gh-9233983


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 30, 2026 11:06 pm 
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Joined: Wed May 16, 2012 6:33 am
Posts: 19399
And as far as I can make out he was HCD - there's this on the Edinburgh City Council website stating a 'request' had been made for suspension or revocation, but it's all the usual secret squirrel stuff :-#

But assuming it is him, he would definitely have had a HC badge, because up here the t-word is strictly reserved for, er, taxis.

https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/mgIs ... ?IId=23158


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 30, 2026 11:14 pm 
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And, on a related theme, noticed this on PHTM's Facebook page a few days ago.

Of course, can't disagree with the general tenor of the remarks made in response. But is the highlighted advice strictly correct - the council were duty bound to revoke, as opposed to suspending? :-o


Quote:
Dear PHTM - I am hoping someone could give me some advice on a matter with our local licensing authority.

"We have a driver with a Hackney Carriage / Private hire badge. He has been licensed for approx 26 years with a clean record.

Driver was anonymously accused of interfering with a female minor. Driver was arrested and bailed pending police inquiry.

Driver was immediately taken off all taxi private hire work and our local authority immediately revoked his HC/PH drivers licence.

Police have now concluded their investigation and found allegation to be false, with no evidence and no case to answer.

We have applied back to our local authority to have his licence reinstated. Council have said his licence was revoked, so this driver will have to put in a new application for his licence which will cost £521.00 - His old licence had 18 months to run.

Was it legal for our Local licensing authority to revoke his licence or should they have suspended it pending police enquiry?"

Quote:
David Lawrie , Director of the National Private Hire and Taxi Association

“Unfortunately, the council is right. Due to the nature of the accusation, they were duty bound to revoke his licence and because his licence has been revoked it cannot be reinstated and therefore, he will have to apply for a new licence.

"However, under the circumstances if his DBS and medical are still valid it may be worth asking whether these can be accepted for the new application. Some councils may also waive certain requirements, such as repeating the knowledge test or safeguarding training. although they are not obliged to do this.”


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