Taxi Driver Online

Not sure where this happened, precisely, in terms of the licensing council at least. There are numerous locations in Yorkshire mentioned. It says he lives in Dewsbury, so if that's where he's licensed then it's Kirklees Council, I think


Taxi driver tried to dodge speeding fine using girl's Driving Licence he found in his cab

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/wes ... g-28668130

Umar Sattar used the lost licence which had been 'circulating' the taxi community

A "silly" taxi driver tried to pin a speeding fine on an 18-year-old girl who had left her licence in the back of a cab.

Umar Sattar, 35, had been caught speeding at 48mph in a 40mph zone when was driving a fare to Wakefield Train Station on November 12. He received a notice of intended prosecution but identified the driver at the time as an Alice Brown, with a Heckmondwike address.

Prosecutor Joseph Bell told Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday: "The court papers were sent but she didn't live there and didn't get them. She was fined £220 at Bradford Magistrates' Court as well as a victim surcharge and costs.

"It wasn't until June last year when she was chased about the money owed that she found out."

Ms Brown told her mum, who spoke to the court and the issue was chased up. It was confirmed Sattar, of Pioneer Street, Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, was the driver through records held by the taxi office.

The court heard that Ms Brown had left her provisional driving licence in a taxi in February 2022 and it had been "circulating" around the taxi community since.

Mr Bell said: "On the 5th of July last year he [Sattar] was interviewed and already he had done it and said he already had six points on his licence and didn't want anymore. He spoke to someone who said he could sort it out for him and gave them the notice of intended prosecution. He refused to name who it was.

"He said he was sorry and was being silly and just wanted to keep his taxi licence."

Sattar went on to admit perverting the course of justice.

His Honour Judge Stubbs KC said Ms Brown's identity had been used for another notice of intended prosecution. He said: "It [the licence] was used for a protracted amount of time and it does have the hallmarks of being sophisticated and planned."

Mr Bell said: "The conviction [against Ms Brown] has been overturned."

Mitigating, Samuel Panniah told the court: "The defendant - by his own actions - has created a situation where this is going to be a significantly more punitive element than if he just owned up. He has demonstrated clear remorse for this offence."

The court heard the dad-of-two cares for both his mum and dad and took work as a taxi driver so he could work flexible shifts which would help with his responsibilities.

Judge Stubbs handed Sattar a sentence of 10 months suspended for a year. He told him he must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £500 and said: "Her [Ms Brown's] licence had circulated in the taxi community...She had a provisional licence...You got away Scott free."

Pedantic note - it's not Scott free with two Ts or a capital S. Scott is normally someone's first name or surname, I think.

It's actually scot free or scot-free.

It's from the old word 'scot', meaning a tax, supposedly

And zero to do with Scots or Scotland, as far as I know

I wonder if his parents have lived in the uk long or has he done like quite a few local drivers and get his parents into the uk so that they can be treated by the NHS. I would not be surprised if he has been driving ph longer than caring for them.

Of course now he won't be driving PH because this conviction must surely mean a revocation

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I think the judge was in a very generous mood. Which in all fairness isn't always a bad thing.

The driver could easily have been sent to immediate custody.

But how thick is that driver? Did he not think the authorities would take a look at any photographic evidence and note it was a cab and more than likely only a cab driver driving it?

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IDFIMH

I thought that was something they didn't do ?



until they chased the fines and found out what had happened

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Presumably they checked the photographic evidence when the girl who was fined and subsequently chased for the money, and then she told the authorities it wasn't her? (I think you've kind of answered your own question there, Edders...)

And, I mean, how on earth did the daftie driver think the girl would just accept a fine and points for something she hadn't done, and that would be the end of it? :lol

...anyways, this isn't really a trade story, and one of those where the victim (if that's the right word) just happened to be a taxi driver.

Not entirely clear why the perp here went to such lengths to deny he was the driver involved in the accident, though - pished at the wheel, maybe? He certainly seems to have a drink problem, but the direct link between that and the accident is at best alluded to rather than explicitly stated, unless I missed something


Leeds man roped wife into fake burglary plot after taxi crash

https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/leeds ... e-28677990

Mark Scollen fled the scene after telling a taxi driver he would be back with his details following the collision

A Leeds man faked a burglary after crashing his car into a taxi and fleeing the scene. Mark Scollen, 54, tried to blame the taxi driver and then said he would go and get his details before fleeing the scene at the junction of York Road and Selby Road in March 2022.

Leeds Crown Court heard Scollen, of Osmondthorpe Lane, reported his car as missing to the police - and even said he believed someone had put their hands through an open window to retrieve his keys before referring to travellers staying nearby.

Prosecutor Louise Pryke told the court on Wednesday Scollen even got his wife involved as she told the police he had walked in to town to see the rugby. The barrister said: "The police went to see where the car was parked usually and it wasn't there.

"The next day he [Scollen] told police he had been burgled. He gave a statement and said he had been drinking all day and returned home. He said he was told by his wife about the car but because he had had a drink he went to bed.

"He contacted the police to say the car keys had been taken and the car stolen. He believed someone must have put their arm through a window and got the key. He referred to some travellers behind the house. He was sent a notice of intended prosecution and stated he was not involved in a road traffic accident."

A collision report conducted, however, found Scollen's DNA on the airbag inside the car and he was arrested. Ms Pryke said: "He gave the same account in interview as his statement and came across very defensive in his answers. He continued to deny the offence until he pleaded guilty at a plea, trial and preparation hearing."

The court heard that Scollen eventually admitted committing acts to pervert the course of justice. Mitigating, Eddison Flint, told the court Scollen was not summonsed to court until last year. He said Scollen does suffer clinical depression and although he initially denied the offence, he is now "very remorseful."

Mr Flint said: "He clearly appreciates the gravity of what has happened and the author [of the pre-sentence report' states he is a man who is willing to try and address the issues. He has done everything to try and rehabilitate himself. He has been dealing with a heavy drink problem to the extent where his doctor has said 'if you stop drinking cold turkey you will probably die'."

The court was told Scollen is a site manager for a construction business and his employer hopes to have him head up the restoration of Burton Agnes.

Mr Flint said Scollen also attends Andy's Man Club and is hoping to combine that with help with his mental health following a referral. He added: "This was March 2022. He has not offended since and has been driving since that time and there has been no road traffic offences. He is currently signed off work on statutory sick pay. It was hoped he would get started at Burton Agnes in March."

His Honour Judge Stubbs handed Scollen a sentence of six months suspended for a year and told him: "In your offending in March 2022 you were behind the wheel of a car and went through a red light and smashed into a taxi. You tried to blame the taxi driver and lied to him and said you were coming back with your details but you ran away.

"You involved your wife and said there was a burglary at your home and denied what you had done - even in interview when presented with the fact your DNA was all over the air bag." Judge Stubbs ordered Scollen to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity days.

that was the point they convicted and fined a provisional driver for an offence committed in a licensed vehicle. It was only when the girl and her mother came forward that they realised they had done that so obviously someone didn't show due diligence when preparing the original prosecution

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You were questioning Sussex about him saying that the authorities would look at the photographic evidence, saying: "I thought that was something they didn't do ?"

But the point is, surely, it's not something they routinely do, but obviously if the girl and her mother are disputing the fine and what happened, then they'll examine the evidence more closely, and then there's obviously an issue because it's a plated vehicle with a provisional driver.

She should not have been convicted in the first place someone should have checked the evidence. If this is considered acceptable then I for one have no faith in our legal system to get anything right

She would NOT have been listed on the insurance and as a provisional driver would not have been entitled to drive the vehicle those are basic checks surely that should have been done before going to court.

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Edders, not sure how it works, precisely, but I doubt it's possible for them to check who the driver is, particularly with large-scale automated stuff like speeding fines. I'd imagine stuff like bus lane fines and the like are the same. Ditto civil enforcement of parking charges levied via ANPR cameras.

So all they can do with the number plate evidence is link it to the registered keeper, who is then sent the notice of intended prosecution for speeding.

So either the registered keeper is the speeding driver, and they accept the penalty. Or, if it's another driver (in a works vehicle, say, or maybe HC or PHV) then the registered keeper names/nominates the actual driver, or however it works.

99% of the time it'll turn out as intended. But some of the time, the nominated driver won't be the actual driver because of some kind of fraud. Of course, sometimes they'll get away with it - if a friend or relative agrees to take the penalty, for example.

But in a case like this, obviously the girl is going to object when she gets the fine and/or is hauled before the courts (and it looks like a false address may have been used rather than her real one, which is maybe why it took a while for her to become aware of the fines).

It's only then that the authorities can look back at the available evidence and bring the real driver to book. Which wouldn't be particularly difficult in this case, by the looks of it.

But they can't/won't look at every notice they send out in such detail, hence what happened here. And, as I said, there's no real way they can find out who the driver is without sending the notice of intended prosecution to the registered keeper - that's how they find out who the driver was, which seems to work the vast majority of the time.

Of course, it all stinks to a degree, but if you accept in principle the idea of automated law enforcement like speed cameras, how else could the find out who the driver was, precisely?

I mean, even if they could access the insurance details, the likes of the 'taxi' in this case could be insured to be driven by several drivers, or indeed *any* badged driver. Ditto any other vehicle. So they send the notice of intended prosecution to the registered keeper (which is easily and directly linked to the number plate) and use that as a workaround to find out who the actual driver is.

But obviously this can be abused, just like any system, as indeed numerous cases on here demonstrate. But normally it's about colluding with other people to nominate a false driver rather than someone completely unknown to them, as in the current case. Which is why he was daft, and why he was easily caught out, at least by the time it all took to unravel what went on

A few years back the team that administers speeding tickets contacted members of the local taxi/PH trade with words of advice.

They basically said they were aware some taxi drivers were diverting their tickets to family members to avoid losing their taxi/PH licenses.

They reminded drivers that they were aware of the law that prohibits non-taxi/PH drivers from driving taxis/PHVs.

They also reminded the trade that quite often 'perverting the course of justice' is an imprisonable offence.

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IDFIMH