Taxi Driver Online

Teen taxi fare dodger told to pay cash back

A teenager from a Melksham estate who ran off from a taxi without paying after a 30-mile trip has been fined £100 and ordered to pay the fare back.

Ben Wright, 19, of Harvard Close, Bowerhill, was initially accused or robbing the cabbie of his takings but the charge was later reduced to making off without payment, which he admitted. In addition to the fine, a judge at Swindon Crown Court also ordered Wright to pay back the £35 fare he dodged.

Hannah Squire, prosecuting, told the court earlier today how the more serious charge of robbery had been dropped because the taxi driver Rana Gulistan was found to have previous convictions under a different name.

It meant as the case was the driver’s word against the passenger’s, the case would not be proceeded with as a robbery charge. She said: “When the papers came in the taxi driver had one name. A check was done and it appeared he had no record.

“Further inquiries revealed he had another name and under that name he had a fairly lengthy list of previous convictions.”

Wright had always maintained he had not robbed the driver but simply run away when he realised he couldn’t pay the bill. He went to the Swindon taxi office at about 6am in the early hours of Sunday, December 7 last year to get the ride home to Melksham.

But after being dropped off in the Catalina Court area of Bowerhill, Wright fled without paying the bill. Ramon Pakrooh, defending, said his client lived at home and worked as an optical assistant with a disposable income of about £100 a month.

Judge Douglas Field said: “It appears you were having a night out and got drunk. “Then in the taxi you realised you didn’t have enough money then in common parlance did a runner. “You have a couple of cautions for dishonesty but from a long time ago when a juvenile.”

After fining him £100 with £35 compensation, Wright said from the dock ‘Can I just say I’m sorry as well’.

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IDFIMH

well that makes it alright then

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

I'd say he has some explaining to do as well

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

That turned out to be an expensive taxi ride for the young man hopefully he will have learned his lesson. I agree with Gusmac the driver does have some explaining to do, dodge or what

I think the fact that this story has made the local press might put a few Herberts off doing likewise.

At least I hope.

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IDFIMH

agree too. Makes you wonder how the taxi driver managed to get a license with previous form

Folks are allowed to grow old and wiser.

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IDFIMH

By using another name and driving licence probably a cousin

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Life? Don't talk to me about life!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjm2eslm6hI

Yes, if you are a fair minded person. But this guy has deliberately evaded the system-probably but not, definitely, in order to obtain a badge its called deception and fraud and it is today not 10 years ago, so would you trust him with your wife/daughter to bring them back safely. I wouldn’t, I would even say the driver is worse than the runner. I would believe the runner before I believed that Taxi driver & I believe the court did as well

where would he get one of them?

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

If you can get students to accept your points on a speeding fines getting a different licence from your cousin isn't going to be too hard

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Life? Don't talk to me about life!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjm2eslm6hI

is right you just have to think outside the box!