Taxi Driver Online

Thought they'd maybe stopped reporting the Glasgow 'taxi' committee cases (mainly private hire, in fact), but obviously missed these three over a week ago

First one's a bit of a shocker if you want my opinion (which most on here probably don't ) - more than £3k worth of cannabis in his car, and conviction three or four months ago, by the looks of it? And six points on his licence to boot, but he still gets a badge

But - and as I said about a similar case a few months ago - at least one former licensing councillor has banged the drum for legalisation of cannabis (and I'm sure there are others), so this is one way of effectively legalising it. Or, at least, minimising any penalty...


Man caught with £3k of cannabis given private hire licence

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/sco ... e-licence/

A MAN who was caught with almost £3500 worth of cannabis has been given permission to work as a private hire driver in Glasgow.

The city’s licensing committee granted a restricted one-year licence to Natnael Esayas, despite Police Scotland arguing he is “not a fit and proper person to hold a licence”.

Councillors on the committee issued the applicant with a warning over his future conduct.

An officer said Mr Esayas, who had applied for a three-year licence, had been convicted at Paisley Sheriff Court in November last year.

It came after an incident in August when officers on mobile patrol approached the applicant’s car and “detected a strong smell of cannabis”.

The licensing committee was told a search of the vehicle found 526.1g of cannabis with “a street value of £3480”.

Edible cannabis chews with a value of between £230 and £460 and more than £1300 in cash were also discovered, the committee heard.

The officer said Mr Esayas also has six penalty points on his driving licence.

Councillor Alex Wilson, SNP, who chairs the licensing committee, said: “What have you got to say for yourself?”

The applicant said: “I’m ashamed. I pleaded guilty the first time in court. It shouldn’t have happened, it’s never going to happen.

“I’m trying to take my life forward and be a good person again.”

Mr Esayas also said he doesn’t take drugs or drink. He added he has three children and he wants “to get a good income to help them”.

Asked how he got involved with drugs in the first place, the applicant claimed they were “someone else’s” but he chose “to plead guilty and close the case”.

This one's hardly a surprise, particularly as he lost his badge from another area

But vote was split, and the conviction is also only a few months old, and still suspended by South Lanarkshire presumably. And he didn't declare it to Glasgow. Almost surprised that they bother with licensing at times


Private hire driver refused licence after 'head-on' collision

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/sco ... -collison/

A PRIVATE hire driver has been refused permission to work in Glasgow after he veered into oncoming traffic, causing a collision which left his passenger in hospital.

Police Scotland objected to Hailmeskel Tadesee’s bid for a licence to operate in the city due to the incident, which happened while he was licensed by South Lanarkshire Council.

Glasgow’s licensing committee heard how Mr Tadesee had been fined £320 and given five points on his licence after he was convicted in November last year.

An officer said the applicant’s “vehicle veered over to the opposite carriageway into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with another vehicle”.

She told councillors that Mr Tadesee had been working as a private hire driver at the time, and had a passenger onboard.

Both vehicles suffered “extensive damage” and the passenger was taken to hospital with a “fractured clavicle”, the officer added.

The other driver also went to hospital with “shoulder and neck pain”, the committee heard.

Mr Tadesee had been granted a licence by South Lanarkshire Council in 2021, but this was suspended last year after the incident. He did not declare the offence on his application to Glasgow City Council.

Glasgow’s committee was split on whether to approve a licence for the driver, with Jill Pidgeon, Labour, and Sean Ferguson, SNP, in favour of granting permission for a restricted period of one year and issuing a warning over his conduct.

Committee chair Alex Wilson, SNP, and Eunis Jassemi, Labour, wanted to refuse the application.

It was rejected on the casting vote of the chair.

Definitely no surprise, here, though, but a good opportunity for the licensing chair to moralise. Never been to a licensing committee meeting myself, but is it normal for councillors to grandstand like the convener here seems to do at every meeting?

This one's a renewal, though, rather than a new application. But looks like despite the conviction he was still driving, and it's one of those which only comes before the committee when a renewal application is submitted, and Police Scotland object?

On the other hand, the conviction was only in January this year, but I wonder what would have happened if he'd been convicted one year into a three-year badge, say


Private hire driver with domestic assault conviction refused licence

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/sco ... d-licence/

A PRIVATE hire driver who put a heated iron on his wife’s body has been refused permission to continue working in the city.

Sabad Mehmood asked Glasgow’s licensing committee to renew his licence, but Police Scotland argued he is “not a fit and proper person”.

Councillors rejected his application after an officer reported how Mr Mehmood had been convicted of domestic assault in January this year.

She said the applicant had “on various occasions” between January 2017 and March 31, 2019, assaulted “his then-wife” who “during part of this period was pregnant”.

The committee heard he had “threatened to throw her out of her home, pulled her towards the front door and placed a heated iron on her body”.

He had also “seized her by the neck and hit her against a wall” and “seized her by her clothing and repeatedly struck her in the head”, the officer said.

She added between April 2019 and July 2022 the applicant did “on various occasions repeatedly shout and swear towards his partner and their child”.

The officer said: “On separate occasions, he seized her by the head and shook her head, stating to her that she should die a torturous death and punched her to the head."

Councillors were also told he “spoke to her in a derogatory manner” and “questioned her whereabouts when not in his company”.

When the relationship ended, the applicant followed her on “various occasions, waiting outside her home in his car”, the officer added.

The committee heard Mr Mehmood had been sentenced to 250 hours of unpaid work and given a restriction of liberty order for four months, which means he must remain in his home between 8pm and 7am.

He was also ordered to refrain from approaching, contacting or communicating with two persons in any way, not to enter two streets or visit a Glasgow school.

Councillor Alex Wilson, SNP, who chairs the committee, asked whether the applicant thought he was “a fit and proper person to be holding a licence”.

Mr Mehmood said he was and he wanted “to continue my job to support my family and my daughter”.

Councillor Wilson said: “I’m absolutely disgusted. I think what Police Scotland has read out is shocking. You are saying you are a fit and proper person, someone who places a heated iron on their partner’s body, they are a fit and proper person?”

Mr Mehmood said there was no evidence of the offences, but councillor Wilson said: “You were found guilty.”

The committee chair added: “Do you honestly think, given the narrative that we have in front of us, that you should be taking the public around the city? When you have been convicted of domestic assault?

“That is the person you are supposed to love and take care of, and you failed to do it. You lifted your hands against someone you are supposed to be looking after.

“We have to think if you can do that to the person who is closest to you, could you do that to a member of the public?”

Difficult to persuade a committee deciding on the 'balance of probabilities' that a criminal conviction 'beyond all reasonable doubt' didn't actually happen

If he'd any chance at all of retaining his badge I'd guess a slightly different approach might have been a tad more compelling

Gobsmacked this fella is still licensed.

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IDFIMH

No it's not and he shouldn't pontificate the way he does.

Tell the fella the reasons why he has lost his license, but a council chamber is not a pulpit.

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IDFIMH

99% certain Mr Cannabis is a new application rather than a renewal, at least from the wording of the piece. Could maybe be construed either way, but certainly a bit misleading if it's a renewal.

Not sure whether that's good or bad, though - at least he wasn't working in the trade at the time of the offence. On the other hand, if it was a new grant then there was no question of putting him out of a job, or whatever.