Taxi Driver Online

Police find man in stolen car out celebrating Eid with friends

A disabled man was reunited with his vehicle when police found it a day after being stolen while he charged the battery.

The blue Vauxhall Zafira, fitted with a hoist and which uses a special key was stolen from outside the home of Watford man Michael DaCosta, on December 8.

The following day the vehicle was identified as stolen on the police’s automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system in Beechen Grove.

The driver, Michael Murray said he had driven his four friends to Watford to celebrate the Muslim festival Eid at a nightclub and had no idea the vehicle had been stolen.

However, at Dacorum Magistrates Court on Tuesday, the 21-year-old from Barnhill Road, Wembley, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and driving without insurance.

Murray, who has previous convictions for robbery and public disorder denied stealing the vehicle and said that he had paid £3,000 cash for it to a Chalk Hill man, known only as Mark.

However, he was not given a log book, or asked for a receipt and Mark could not be found, Dacorum Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday.

The former controller for Eagle Star Taxis said he bought the car to get a job as a taxi driver once a driving ban he was on ended.

He admitted he became “suspicious” something was amiss when no log book was forthcoming and ‘Mark’ gave him an unusual square key for the vehicle. He had also promised the disabled winch from the back would be removed.

His defence asked for a conditional discharge, pointing out that Murray had worked hard to better himself after being brought up in a rough area, and he had not been in trouble since 2007.

He had paid for the car from savings and money from his mother, but now had no income, the court heard.

Magistrates ordered Murray carry out 100 hours unpaid work and endorsed his driving licence with six penalty points.

Prosecution costs of £100 were also awarded.

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

This kind of defence just really annoys me. I wish people would stop using pathetic excuses for behaviour and wish solicitors would stop encouraging it. Credit to him he's managed to stay out of trouble since 2007, doesn't say when in 2007 and we're only just into 2009 so it's hardly a sodden miracle is it

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Stayed out of trouble or didn't get caught?

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

Is Murray a Traditional Muslim surname??

Does it need to be? He may have been driving some muslim friends to the celebrations.

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Grandad,

in a NIGHTCLUB?

it is in glasgow mosques.....

isnt it a fact under english law that commiting an offence unwittingly is a defence?

Even muslims go to nightclubs you know. Being a muslim does not mean that you lock yourself away and only come out at prayer time. Anyway, what is to stop christians from joining in with the eid celebrations? We are supposed to be a multi cultural/multi faith society.

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Grandad,

It's mitigation when determining the severity of any punishment, but not a defence of the offence.

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IDFIMH

now why would any proper muslim go to a nightclub full of skantily dressed women, flowing booze or even (dare i say it) homer-seksuals?

so we are talking about lapsed muslims then?

how many nightclubs are there in Tehran?

5

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

How do you know?

CC

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

I could tell you but then I might have to hunt you down and shoot you, but, you seem like an ok guy so I won't

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

They have their own clubs where alcohol and scantily dressed women are not present. Not all nightclubs are the same.

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Grandad,