Kerb-crawling Radstock taxi driver ‘overcome by temptation’, court hears A kerb-crawling taxi driver who has repeatedly breached an ASBO banning him from touring red light areas ‘had a problem with temptation’, a court has heard.
Kingsley Hobbs, 54, of Mendip Way, Radstock, admitted blatantly breaching his existing ASBO out of ‘force of habit’ when he appeared before Bristol Magistrates Court.
He faces a three year extension of his ban and may even lose his livelihood if it is decided to withdraw the taxi licence he has held for more than 20 years.
Hobbs was handed the three-year ASBO in January 2012 but was caught in the banned areas again by Avon and Somerset Police vice officers on March 13, 2013 and January 17, 2014.
The court heard that detectives had been carrying out a proactive, plain clothes patrol in March(2013??) when they spotted Hobbs’s green Skoda Octavia twice in 20 minutes.
After contacting CCTV operators, they found he had cruised round three of the city’s red light districts 13 times in an hour.
In January this year, Hobbs had picked up a couple in Bath in his taxi following a rugby game and returned them back to Bristol before travelling through the areas where he is banned.
Prosecution solicitor Jeremy Oliver said that, during an interview with police, Hobbs admitted if it wasn’t for the banning order he would ‘be down there every week’ and that he ‘couldn’t say’ what he would have done if he had spotted a working girl while cruising round the district.
Mr Oliver said Hobbs had an interest in working girls and liked to ‘keep up with the gossip in the red-light districts’.
The court heard evidence from Tina Newman from the Avon and Somerset Police vice team which stated that it was an ‘almost unique situation’ to have someone breaching a kerb-crawling ASBO which prevents offenders from entering Stapleton Road, Portland Square, Warwick Road and Fishponds Road areas.
Mr Oliver, who said he will also be informing Bath and North East Somerset Council which has the power to issue or revoke a taxi licence, added: “The prosecution think extending the ban is necessary and proportionate. He seems to have a problem with temptation and the ASBO helps with this, although it does not eradicate it.”
He said there was a “massive problem” with on-street prostitution in the area and said local residents reported finding used condoms and drugs paraphernalia discarded near their homes.
Defence solicitor Sally Halliday said her client admitted he was ‘foolish’ and said he had simply driven through the areas ‘for old times’ sake’ rather than with the intention of soliciting women.
She described him as lonely and isolated and said he had spent the past 20 years working the night shift for a taxi firm in Bath while caring for his sick mother during the day.
Magistrates described breaching an ASBO as a “serious offence” which could trigger a five-year prison sentence. The case was adjourned for three weeks to give the Probation Service time to prepare reports.
Read more:
http://www.somersetguardian.co.uk/Kerb- ... z2tLB14bQT
Login
Register
FAQ
