A cabbie told police he’d ‘had a hair transplant’ after he was caught using his bald brother’s licence.
The Manchester Evening News reports that Mohammed Abid Ali, 32, who boasts a full head of hair, was challenged over a photo-card which showed an apparently older and bald man, a court heard.
He had been driving down Oxford Road, Manchester when he was stopped by police and council licensing officers.
Ali told them that he had been using hair re-growth products and had undergone a horse-hair transplant operation.
But checks revealed Ali had his licence revoked by a council panel the previous month.
Manchester magistrates ordered the illegal cabbie to pay nearly £1,000 in fines, costs, and a victim surcharge after he pleaded guilty to driving a hackney carriage without a licence or insurance.
Ali, from Cheetham Hill, Manchester, said after his court appearance he had been banned from driving after clocking up 12 points on his licence.
He told the M.E.N: “I took my brother's licence out with me but he’s a bit older than me. They didn’t allow me to plead any mitigating circumstances when they banned me. I need to earn so that’s why I did it.”
Cllr Kate Chappell from Manchester council said: “This case should serve as a warning to all unlicensed taxi drivers, our officers are out on the streets and are incredibly vigilant.”
The incident occurred at around 10.36pm on Saturday, April 27, on Bourne Avenue, next to the Upper Gardens.
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