Taxi Driver Online

Sex comment cabbie avoids prison

Bowes was giving the girl a lift home in his taxi

An Aberdeenshire taxi driver who lost his licence after making sexual comments to a 14-year-old girl has been told he will not go to jail.
Alexander Bowes, 57, told the teenager to use contraceptives with her boyfriend as they chatted in his cab during a lift home from school.

Bowes, from Drumoak, admitted breach of the peace.

He was given probation and placed on the Sex Offenders' Register at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

Sheriff Alistair Thornton said: "This was a significant sexual reference to have made and can't have been considered as a joke.

"A sexual comment should not have been made."

It's clearly not the job of a stranger to give advice on any personal matter

John Hardie
Defence lawyer

Bowes had given the girl a lift on the Banchory to Port Elphinstone road in January.

His solicitor John Hardie said: "The complainer had said she had a boyfriend and the comments were predicated against that background.

"It's clearly not the job of a stranger to give advice on any personal matter.

"He clearly accepts he caused distress and alarm to the complainer but had no intention to do so.

"He agrees he was out of line and it was out of order."

Bowes was sentenced to two years' probation and was also put on the Sex Offenders' Register for two years.

His taxi licence has been removed by Aberdeenshire Council until December 2008, a decision he may try to overturn.

After the case, Bowes said: "I didn't know she was 14, I thought she was older."

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Unbelievable.

Not the case itself, but it's not that long ago that councils were allowing drivers to hand out condoms to passengers.

I said at the time that this seemed very dodgy, and this case shows the dangers involved.

But of course councillors know best.

http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/vie ... hp?p=34177

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

I tend to agree with the duplicity.

As ever there will be a story behind the story.

Captain Cab

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

CABBIE LOSES LICENCE AFTER SEXUAL REMARKS TO GIRL, 14

DAVID EWEN

11:00 - 01 May 2006

A Taxi driver has had hit licence suspended after he made sexual comments to a teenager passenger.

At Aberdeen Sheriff Court Alexander Bowes, 57, pled guilty to a breach of the peace involving a 14-year-old girl.

But today the cabbie claimed he only "spoke out of turn".

He said: "It started off on a general conversation. She told me she had a boyfriend and that he was 18.

"All I said was if you've a boyfriend of that age, and you're having a relationship, make sure you're on some kind of contraceptive. Because there are too many young kids finishing up as single parents.

"I probably shouldn't have spoken to her in that kind of manner."

The incident was on January 20 this year on roads between Banchory and Port Elphinstone.

Bowes, 57,said he was advised to plead guilty when he appeared.

He said: "In the eyes of the law it's breach of the peace and I've just got to accept that.

"I feel guilty in a way that I shouldn't have said it, but in myself I'm innocent."

Sentence on the taxi driver was deferred for background reports until next month.

Aberdeenshire Council grants taxi licences, and a spokesman said Bowes had his licence suspended on March 29.

It is suspended until December 2008 but he is appealing.

He says he is currently living on income support.

Bowes said: "I was suspended just on an allegation. I could have accepted a suspension maybe for a couple of months or three but to lose my licence until December 2008 is definitely an injustice."


I think injustice is an understatement ?

Im inclined to agree that an injustice is indeed the case here, ok the guy should of been a bit more careful but does the punishment truly fit the crime here, i dont think so. Harsh very harsh

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Legal and proud

Loads a love from BERTIE !!

Of course as part of a conversation it does not seem so bad,well not bad enough to merit a charge of breach of the peace.

I dont actually think I'd want a 57 year old man speaking to my daughter in this manner.

Captain Cab

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

CAPTAIN CAB WROTE
I dont actually think I'd want a 57 year old man speaking to my daughter in this manner.


I have a 14 year old daughter myself and i can honestly say that, No i wouldn't be too happy neither with the conversation and indeed he should have been more selective with his conversation, but i also wouldn't want him hung out to dry neither. Also a point to remember is most girls nowadays at 14 look so much older, now im not saying this excuses him in any way, but i know people say my daughter looks about 18 and i would have to agree.

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Legal and proud

Loads a love from BERTIE !!

No, But is it a breach of the peace? 21 months of income support? we will all have to pay for, sex offenders register?

As Dusty says, how does all this go with dishing out condoms?

Rule number one is to keep your gob shut, and rule number two is to deny everything.

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IDFIMH

I agree, but this is another angst causing subject for the middle classes, personally I would never be a mobile vending machine for condoms, not for any religous or moral reasons but just because of this sort of thing, it's a minefield.

The poor Bas*** probably didn’t even give it a second though.


I’m surprised they never had him castrated. I can’t help get the feeling this is just a tad harsh.



Well there’s a shock, I wonder if denying the allegation would have made any difference? Ah well “fit” again in 2008 at least he’s got that to look forward too.



He knows now, are we all sufficiently shocked and surprised at the harshness of the punishment. Don’t you feel a little sorry for the guy and glad it wasn’t you? I know I fecking do. The guys just lucky it was nothing serious.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Maybe if he'd asked her if she use contraceptives and offered her a packet of condoms it would have made all the difference

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Skull,

I think denying the allegation would have led to a more serious charge from the police.

There was something similar down here a few months ago, albeit with an adult.

Captain Cab

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Oh ye and how would they have proved it? It would be one persons word against another.

What's to stop anyone making a malicious allegation? Should we all be convicted of an offence on the word of one individual? Don't we have the right to remain silent or to deny the allegation? Is being presumed innocent before being proven guilty just an urban myth or is this just a taxi thing?

I think it's more PC to conjure up a victim than the perpetrator of a crime regardless of who said what and in what context?

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"