Taxi Driver Online

A jumble of locations and councils here, and that's without even stating which court in which town or city the case was heard in

(But since it's the Oxford Mail that's published it, it may have been courts in Oxford.)

Anyway, his address is given as Wolverhampton, and looks like he was using fake Bromsgrove Council plates (where he was previously licensed), and that's referred to as the West Midlands council below.

He was caught in Bodicote, near Banbury, which is in the Cherwell District Council area, which brought the case

Apart from that, it's straightforward enough, but some interesting court procedural stuff...


'Fake' taxi drive caught near Banbury warned he faces prison

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/23208 ... es-prison/

A ‘fake’ taxi driver was caught driving a fare in Banbury.

Aamer Aziz, 44, of Himley Close, Wolverhampton, had attached false licence plates to his Skoda Superb, giving the impression he was registered with Bromsgrove council.

Further investigations showed the former cabbie had been licensed with the West Midlands council’s taxi team – but his licence was withdrawn in October 2019.

When he was stopped behind the wheel of his 2013-plate Skoda on Weeping Cross, Bodicote, in the early hours of May 14 this year, Aziz was said to have been carrying a passenger.

He pleaded guilty at the magistrates’ court in November to fraud, driving without insurance and knowingly driving a private hire vehicle without a valid licence. The district judge sent the case to the crown court for sentence.

On Thursday, Judge Michael Gledhill KC was told that Aziz was unrepresented as legal aid had not yet been granted.

The judge agreed to adjourn sentence until February 3, but warned the former cab driver: “These offences are very serious indeed and my view at the moment is the only issue I have to resolve – two issues – [are] how long the appropriate prison sentence should be and whether I should suspend it or not.”

Aziz was granted conditional bail.

Amber Athill appeared for Cherwell District Council, which brought the case.

'Withdrawn' obviously isn't a technical licensing or legal term, but presumably it means it was revoked or suspended as opposed to surrendered voluntarily

But from the point of view of readers on here, would be interesting to know a bit more of the backstory to this, but obviously there's not much detail about what happened, precisely.

But his address is given as Wolverhampton, yet he was previously plated by Bromsgrove Council, about 20 miles away. And he was caught near Banbury, another 45 miles on

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bodicot ... 599354!3e0

Banbury not a million miles from Bromsgrove (or Redditch) so perhaps thought if he used what I am guessing are probably copies of his old plates or even his old plates with the dates amended he could perhaps work in an adjacent area unnoticed ?

He thought wrong though !

This does make you wonder if there are others like this as the modern day ability to license away from your district of work must make it easier to operate without a license.

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

I kind of assumed he was maybe just passing through the Cherwell Council area rather than actually working there, but who knows?

But who, precisely, was giving him work, and what checks did they do? There's a whole backstory to this as regards licensing, insurance etc, and the article only really scratches the surface regarding it all.

well Stuart Poirot start investigating and let us know when it's time for the big reveal !

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

I suspect there are many operating a scam like this fool.

At a guess, he will get 2 years suspended for 2 years, along with some unpaid work. None of that unpaid work will involve driving.

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IDFIMH

So the article below further clarifies some of the details, but also confuses in other regards.

So the court was in Oxford, and he had been revoked.

And still not entirely clear whether or not he was working regularly in the Cherwell Council area, but it was there where he was caught out illegally plying for hire, although looks like it was a police stop for no road tax

Also the intriguing stuff about 'working for a carriage company' and some kind of school contract, but nothing about the whys and wherefores

But, in that regard, even the judge was 'visibly frustrated' about the limited charges brought

Apart from that, it's not confusing at all


Oxfordshire fake Skoda taxi driver punished in court

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/23297 ... shed-court


Image: Oxford Mail

An unlicensed cabbie who may have been illegally picking up fares for MONTHS walked from court with a suspended prison sentence.

Amber Athill, for Cherwell District Council, told Oxford Crown Court on Friday (February 3) there was information fake taxi driver Aamer Aziz, 44, had been working for a ‘carriage company’.

“He also had, in fact, a contract with a local school and he was dropping off children at school,” she added.

However, he was only charged with illegally plying for hire on a single date – May 14, 2022 – when a police officer stopped him in Weeping Cross, Bodicote, after noting his Skoda Superb had not been taxed since late 2020.

A visibly frustrated Judge Maria Lamb told the prosecutor that she could sentence only on the charge that had been laid by the council and admitted by Aziz. “I would encourage those who charge in these sorts of circumstances to bear that in mind,” she said.

Earlier, Ms Athill said that when Aziz was stopped, the hackney carriage licence attached to his car and ostensibly advertising the fact he was licensed by Bromsgrove District Council was found to be a flimsy piece of laminated paper.

The driver had previously held a taxi licence with the Worcestershire council. But it was revoked in 2019 over concerns that Aziz’s car was in a dangerous condition; he had tried to cover up safety warning lights on the dashboard.

He was not insured to carry paying passengers. On the day of the police stop he was seen to drop off a customer, who had paid around £10 for the journey.

Aziz, of Himley Close, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty at the magistrates’ court to fraud by false representation, illegally plying for hire and driving without insurance. He had no previous convictions.

Asking the judge not to send his client to prison immediately, Derek Barry said Aziz was struggling financially. His wife did not work, he had a son to support and large mortgage repayments.

He had ‘expressed real remorse’, Mr Barry said. “He is a man who realises what he did was criminal and it is criminal for a reason.”

Imposing four months’ imprisonment suspended for two years, Judge Lamb said: “The fact that you got yourself into dire financial straits in no way excuses the way in which you have behaved.

“What you did was very serious and I have no hesitation in saying that it passes what is called the custody threshold.

“I am careful to limit myself to the matter with which you have been charged and to take no further what I know to be the surrounding circumstances which speak greatly to your discredit.

“What you did by displaying those false details was a very significant piece of criminal offending. It risked the safety of those who were carried within your vehicle, although it’s not suggested there was any particular bad driving that day, and it risked the safety of others on the road because of course you were not insured.”

Aziz was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work, up to 36 rehabilitation activity requirement days, pay £500 in costs and was banned from the roads for six months.

I can't see someone like that not reoffending. He knew what he was doing.

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