Front page of Plymouth Evening Newspaper:
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?command=newPage&nodeId=133164&contentPK=10014784
KILLER GIVEN MINICAB LICENCE
12:00 - 19 May 2004
A convicted killer has been granted a licence to drive minicabs in Plymouth - just weeks after walking free from prison, the Herald can reveal.
Ian Morrison applied for and was granted the licence by Plymouth City Council after being freed from jail where he served less than two years for manslaughter.
Taxi drivers and the family of the man Morrison killed in a street fight are furious that someone with his reputation for violence has been trusted with the safety of passengers.
Today, after being contacted by the Herald, the city council confirmed it would review the case.
Morrison, aged 36, threw a single punch at David Taylor as Mr Taylor tried to calm a late-night brawl in Union Street in April 2002. The blow sent the 31-year-old falling to the floor where he struck his head, suffering fatal injuries.
Before sentencing Morrison to five years in jail in February last year, Judge William Taylor described the act as 'gratuitous aggression'. The court heard that he had previous convictions for assault causing actual bodily harm and common assault in 1989 and 1991.
The manslaughter sentence was later reduced on appeal to two and a half years and Morrison was released in January.
Plymouth City Council's licensing committee granted former cab driver Morrison a licence to drive private hire vehicles during a personal hearing in April.
Following investigations by the Herald, the council today said new information had come to light, which it was examining - which could result in the decision being reviewed.
All hackney carriage and private hire drivers must have a licence from the council to show they are fit to drive a taxi.
Angry taxi drivers say they have seen Morrison working in Plymouth but it is not known who is employing him.
It is understood Morrison, of Staple Close, Roborough, has a condition on his parole that he cannot enter the city centre or Stonehouse, which seriously hampers his ability to work.
Beth Taylor (pictured right), mother of David Taylor (pictured inset) has written to the council to ask the licensing committee to revoke its decision.
She said: "I think it is disgusting. I am absolutely furious and not just because he killed my son. He is responsible for people's safety."
Mrs Taylor, 53, from Stonehouse, added: "I use taxis quite a lot. I do have other children. My biggest fear is that I get into a taxi and he is driving it.
"There must have been a lack of communication between the council, the probation and the police. Probation have told me it is better if he is working but I think he should be in a factory, not somewhere where he is alone with people at all hours."
Alan Heron, chairman of the Plymouth Taxi Company, which has 120 black cabs on the road, said: "I think this is a terrible that this kind of person has got a badge.
"It just blackens the name of every other good driver out there - and the majority out there are good. He should not be working. He is not the right type of person who should be carrying young men or young women around late at night."
Mr Heron added: "If a driver gets a speeding conviction you get hauled over the coals by the licensing committee. There is something seriously wrong if someone like this can get a badge."
One taxi boss was taking legal advice to see whether his company could appeal against the Morrison's licence, before the council announced its review.
John Preece, boss of Taxifast, said: "The whole trade is up in arms about it. I have spoken to other operators, both private hire and hackney carriages, and we are putting up a united front."
South West Devon MP Gary Streeter said he was increasingly worried about taxi and private hire licences granted by Plymouth City Council.
He added: "I am extremely alarmed to hear about this. I am concerned more and more that taxi drivers do not receive sufficient regulation.
"There is a very intimate relationship between a driver and his fare. Every passenger is a person who is potentially at risk.
"A decision on a taxi driver deserves as much consideration as any decision on education or health."
Mr Streeter last year criticised the council for 'lenient' action against a taxi driver who was convicted of a road rage attack on a disabled motorist. Paul Connors, 45, from Deer Park, Saltash, was sentenced to 200 hours' community service and ordered to pay £600 compensation to the victim and £250 court costs. He was suspended for just three days by Plymouth City Council's licensing committee.
Transport minister and Plymouth Devonport MP David Jamieson said he could not comment specifically without knowing the details of the Morrison case.
But he added: "The council has absolute responsibility for the safety of both the vehicles and that the people driving or operating cabs are people that the public can trust. It is up to the council to justify whether they have made the right decision.
"It is not something I would look into in the first instance unless I receive specific complaints."
At the appeal which reduced his sentence last June, Morrison was described by his barrister as a model prisoner who had shown genuine remorse.
The reduction in his sentence meant he was eligible for release half way through his sentence rather than two thirds in the case of a longer term.
A city council spokesman said: "We are unable to comment on either the conviction or the length of sentence given by the courts. We are also not able to discuss in detail the information presented to the licensing committee in April. However, since then new information has come to light that the committee was not aware of. This is being investigated and may result in the council reviewing its decision.
"A hearing was heard to decide the application and the matter was decided at the time and any objections that were received would have been taken into account."
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shocking stuff. what the hell were the council thinking by giving this man a badge?