8 Mar 2008
Cabbie with licence to attack
A MAN given a minicab licence despite previous convictions for GBH and a
string of drug offences went on to attack a female passenger.
Shafiq Ahmed Aziz was flagged down by the student victim and three of
her friends after a night out in Leeds city centre.
But an argument broke out over the fare and Aziz, who stopped his cab in
Burley Road, Burley, got out and slapped the young woman in the face as
she stood by the car.
Married Aziz denied he was the driver but was found guilty of common
assault and ordered to pay £100 compensation to the victim, a £100 fine
and pay £450 costs.
Details of the assault last March, were revealed at Leeds Magistrates'
Court yesterday when Aziz, of Brudnell Avenue, Hyde Park, Leeds, tried to
get his licence back.
Leeds City Council's licensing department suspended it when police
informed them of the 32-year-old's criminal conviction last October.
Andrew Vickers, for the council, said Aziz had previous convictions,
including three for possession of drugs and one for grievous bodily harm,
when he first applied for a licence.
Mr Vickers asked whether Aziz, who had been plying for hire for just
eleven months when he hit the student, would get into a cab being driven
by a driver with a conviction for assault.
Aziz replied: "As long as he didn't assault me."
John Raj, for Aziz, said he suffered from sciatica and as a result could only
work as a minicab driver to support his wife and family.
A good character reference written by Councillor Khabeer Hussain
(Independent, Hyde Park & Woodhouse) was also handed to the bench.
Chairman of the Magistrates' Bench Linda Shaffner said: "We have to
decide whether Mr Aziz is a fit and proper person to transport members of
the public.
"Given that he has been convicted of physically assaulting a female
passenger and failing to disclose this to the council we cannot be satisfied
that he is."
Aziz was also ordered to pay the council £200.
He was not prosecuted for illegally picking up the four students.
A Leeds City Council spokesman said: "All applicants for a taxi or private
hire license are Criminal Records Bureau checked and each case is dealt
with on its own merits on the outcome of that check.
"Convictions for certain offences which date back a number of years
should not prevent somebody from applying to be a taxi or private hire
driver. We have robust processes in place and where possible will work
with applicants to ensure they are fit to hold a licence.
"Mr Aziz demonstrated his suitability to become a professional driver and
was subsequently awarded a licence. As soon as we were alerted to an
allegation of assault by the police that licence was suspended – a decision
which was upheld by the courts today."
When contacted by the YEP Coun Hussain denied he knew about Aziz's
criminal record.
Source: Yorkshire Evening Post
----------
Disclaimer
These press articles are intended for informational purposes only.
Statements and opinions expressed in these articles are solely those of the original Publisher.
I cannot guarantee the accuracy of any of these articles, and therefore I am not liable for any information contained therein.
Where possible, the Publisher and the source are documented within each article.
Any author that holds legal copyright, and objects to their material being posted, may request that it be removed and any future material excluded.
Login
Register
FAQ
