A taxi driver sexually assaulted an intoxicated woman travelling in his vehicle and continued attacking her after she started crying. The incident left the woman a changed person and no longer able to trust men.
WalesOnline reports that Bahaaelden Ibrahim, 44, sexually assaulted the victim in Cardiff on November 7, 2021, after she had been out in the city centre watching a Wales rugby international.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday 18 April, heard the victim described herself as "tired, tipsy, and sleepy" and wanted to go home after drinking throughout the day.
She arranged to get a taxi to her boyfriend's home and she was picked up by the defendant.
After going to a cash machine Ibrahim was driving when he grabbed the victim's hand and forced it onto his penis and made her masturbate him.
She became upset and began crying hysterically. The defendant told her to stop crying and she got out of the car to walk the remainder of the journey home.
Prosecutor Alex Orndal said the victim reported the matter to the police the following day and Ibrahim was arrested. He denied the offences and claimed he had been assaulted by the victim.
Ibrahim, from Cardiff, was found guilty of sexual assault following a trial at Swansea Crown Court. The court heard he had one previous conviction for obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception.
The victim said she no longer feels comfortable getting in taxis, no longer likes being on her own, and is no longer social and outgoing person she once was.
She added: "I struggle to avoid haunting thoughts in my mind. I find it hard to sleep and be in the car on my own. I feel stupid it happened to me although it's not my fault....
"What I do know is this man is dangerous and should not be allowed alone with vulnerable females."
In mitigation Susan Ferrier said her client had worked as a taxi driver for many years and had never been accused of an incident like this previously. She said the defendant still maintained his innocence but accepted the verdict of the jury.
The defence barrister said Ibrahim was married and has three children, who would be punished if he were sent to prison, and was also supporting family in Sudan.
Sentencing, Recorder Caroline Rees KC said: "[The victim] should have been able to trust you to do your job and take her home safely.
"As a taxi driver entrusted with getting a woman home safe that night the breach of that trust can only be met by an immediate custodial sentence."
Ibrahim was sentenced to a total of two years imprisonment.
He was also made subject to a restraining order for five years and sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.
Source: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/taxi-driver-sexually-assaulted-crying-29016819
Wolverhampton is the taxi licence capital of England and Wales, a new study has found.
According to the Express and Star, the city has the highest rate of licensed taxis and private hire vehicles.
Analysis of data from the Department for Transport was carried out to determine the total number of licensed taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) per 1,000 people in each city across England and Wales.
These results were then ranked from highest to lowest.
Wolverhampton ranked first in the study, with 85.3 licensed taxis and PHVs per 1,000 people.
With a population of 263,700 residents, that is 580 per cent more than the proportion of licensed taxis and PHVs for the city in second place.
Whilst there are 0.6 licensed taxis per 1,000 people in Wolverhampton, the total figure is largely from licensed PHVs in the city, with a huge 84.7 licensed PHVs per 1,000 people.
It comes after a Freedom of Information request last year revealed almost 9,000 private hire drivers registered with Wolverhampton Council live in Greater Manchester.
Transport for Greater Manchester called for a change in the law saying local councils "can not guarantee a high standard" from out of town drivers.
Last October, Wolverhampton Council said it had never actively encouraged applications from drivers outside the city and the council could not refuse an applicant simply because they live in a different area.
Newcastle came second in the study with 12.4 licensed taxis and PHVs per 1,000 people.
It recorded 10.5 licensed PHVs per 1,000 people, compared to two licensed taxis per 1,000 people.
London ranked third with 11.9 licensed taxis and PHVs per 1,000 people. The city has the largest population on the list at 8.8 million residents and has 10.2 licensed PHVs per 1,000 people, compared to 1.7 licensed taxis per 1,000 people.
Newport came fourth with 8.1 licensed taxis and PHVs per 1,000 people. With a population of 159,600, it has 7.6 licensed PHVs per 1,000 people and 0.5 licensed taxis per 1,000 people. Newport was found to be the only city in Wales to make the top 10 list.
Bradford ranked fifth with 7.9 licensed taxis and PHVs per 1,000 people. It recorded 7.5 licensed PHVs per 1,000 people, compared to 0.4 licensed taxis per 1,000 people.
Other cities in the top 10 include Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Leeds and Southampton.
A spokesperson for private hire insurance specialist Zego, which carried out the study, said: “The results reveal that there is a much greater availability of PHVs in the vast majority of cities in England and Wales, than equivalent taxis when accounting for each city’s population.
The government has today published a consultation on the potential tax impacts of the Uber Britannia Limited v Sefton Borough Council High Court judgment that was handed down on 28 July 2023, and the Uber London Limited v Transport for London High Court judgment that was handed down on 6 December 2021, on the private hire vehicle (PHV) sector and its passengers.
This consultation invites views on potential government interventions that could help to mitigate any undue adverse effects on the PHV sector and its passengers.
This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 8 August 2024.
View the consultation document here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/661e7dd67469198185bd3e51/PHVs_ConDoc_-_FINAL.pdf
A taxi passenger robbed the terrified driver at knifepoint in Egremont, Cumbria, telling him: “Give me all your money or you will die.”
The Whitehaven News reports that the driver was working a night shift in Whitehaven and accepted a fare on the Duke Street rank just before 5am on Saturday 16 December 2023.
Two men — including 27-year-old Curtis Baron — got into the back seat with an initial requested destination of Main Street.
The destination was changed to Mirehouse in Whitehaven which is where the other passenger was dropped.
Baron asked to be taken to Egremont and, on arrival, the driver asked for a £10 fare.
Prosecutor Spandrew Evans told Carlisle Crown Court: “The defendant asked if he could take a card payment, which was possible, but then told the driver he didn’t have a bank card. The defendant asked him to drive to another location where he planned to ask his mother for money.
“As they arrived the defendant reached round the seat and put a six-inch knife to his throat, saying ‘give me all your money of you will die’; and ‘if you don’t want to lose your life just give me all your notes’.”
The driver threw his wallet onto the taxi floor, telling Baron he had no notes while showing his money bag and telling him he’d dropped notes at his house.
“The defendant said ‘I don’t want to do this, but you deserve it’, which puzzled the driver; they were strangers,” said Mr Evans. “The driver stated that he was genuinely scared he would be killed.
“The defendant demanded the driver’s phone, which he refused to hand over as it contained pictures of his family. He then demanded the dashboard cameras and meter machine.”
When assured he wouldn’t have been caught on camera, Baron got out. “He told the driver that if he got the police involved he would be hunted down and burned alive inside his taxi,”said Mr Evans.
“He drove off for a distance and then had to stop because he was shaking with shock.” He called police and was noted by an officer to be visibly distressed.
Baron stole up to £80 of coins. “He was arrested because he lives on the street on which the robbery happened. The final destination of the taxi was indeed his mother’s street and he was found in a house on that street shortly after the robbery, Police found him hiding in the loft. The money bag was found, empty, on his bed, next to a bumbag containing a large amount of coins.
In an impact statement, the driver outlined his shock. “I am dreading going back to work. I have been driving a taxi for 33 years, and this is the first time this has happened. I am scared to go back to it in case something like this happens again,” he said.
The driver still had a knife mark on his neck the following week.
Baron, from Egremont, admitted robbery and having a bladed article.
In a letter written to sentencing judge Recorder Julian Shaw, Baron stated: “I’m sorry to my family, my victim’s family and most of all my victim. He doesn’t deserve what happened that night. No-one does. I was in a bad way, bad lifestyle choices and mental health.”
Baron was given a 40-month prison sentence by Recorder Shaw, who told him: “True it is you never followed up on your threat. True it is you never caused him any physical, lasting harm.
“But the psychological effect and trauma on that gentleman, performing a service to the public, late at night, in an exposed position, driving alone, at night, few witnesses, makes this a very serious offence.”
Source: https://www.whitehavennews.co.uk/news/24260114.passenger-robbed-whitehaven-tax-driver-knife-throat/
A private hire driver has been slapped with a substantial fine after being caught operating illegally in Reading town centre.
The Reading Chronicle reports that Saleem Raza, 63, from Reading, was caught illegally offering to drive people home without a prior booking in a council sting operation.
He has now been hit with costs totalling £2,900 and given eight penalty points on his driving licence.
In the early hours of the morning after a busy Saturday night, Mr Raza was parked in West Street outside a late-night food takeaway, an area known to council licensing officers for drivers illegally plying for hire.
Mr Raza was approached by a licensing officer and agreed to take them to Tilehurst for £15 without the required prior booking.
After a court hearing, he was fined £1,000 for the offence of plying for hire.
He was ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1,500 and a victim surcharge of £400.
Mr Raza was dealt the penalty points, fines and costs at a hearing at Reading Magistrates Court on Thursday, April 4.
Consumer protection group manager at the council, Rob Abell, said: “Public safety and confidence to use regulated and licensed taxis is of paramount importance.
“Unlicensed drivers who undermine that trust will be robustly dealt with to maintain public confidence and ensure safety in our nighttime economy.
“The Council Licensing Team worked tirelessly to bring this complex case to court, and I am delighted the District Judge recognised the importance of it."
Source: https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/24259355.reading-taxi-driver-must-pay-2-900-illegally-work/
Bahaaelden Ibrahim, 44, sexually assaulted the victim in Cardiff after she had been out watching a Wales rugby international.
The city has the highest rate of licensed taxis and private hire vehicles.
The government has today launched a consultation on the potential tax impacts of recent High Court judgments on transport legislation on the private hire vehicle sector and its passengers.
The driver was working a night shift in Whitehaven and accepted a fare on the Duke Street rank just before 5am on 4-50am.
Private hire driver, Saleem Raza, has been slapped with a substantial fine after being caught operating illegally in Reading town centre.
Oldham Council has said that the Dan Fold taxi rank, based behind the former Snipe Inn pub and across from Oldham Bus Interchange, will be closed down as the former pub is set to be demolished.
A taxi firm has been ordered to pay more than £400 in costs for keeping a vehicle which does not meet insurance requirements.
Edward Marshman charged his customer twice for the £50 ride before making off with his iPhone
Kunathilinghan Mohanthas fatally struck Christopher Hanton in Glasgow city centre last August 5. Mohanthas had told the 40 year-old mortgage advisor to get out his Mercedes Vito just moments after picking him up.
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