Aggressive Adrian Jones punched a taxi driver in the face in a road rage attack.
StokeonTrentLive reports North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard that tensions had arisen after the cabbie asked Jones' partner - who was driving - to 'move back'.
Prosecutor Suzanne Swindail said the incident happened at 2.30pm on January 16, 2022 when the cabbie pulled up in Adderley Road, Norton.
Miss Swindail said: "It is a narrow street. Another vehicle pulled in ahead of the taxi driver's car. He asked the defendant if he could move back.
"He said: 'I am not moving, you move back'. Jones, 37, got out of the car and got close to the taxi driver. The taxi driver said: 'Are you not moving because this is your country?'
"He thought the defendant was being racist and had more of a right of the road than he did.
"The defendant became aggressive. He pushed him in the chest and pushed him around.
"The taxi driver went to his car and sat in the driver's seat. He felt a punch to the right side of his face. The defendant ran away.
"The taxi driver felt dizzy and was bleeding from a cut to his lip. He called the police and went to the Haywood Hospital.
"He received 67 stitches to a deep cut in his top lip."
In a victim statement, the cabbie said: "I had two weeks off work and was not paid. It is not right that this has happened."
Jones told police the taxi driver was verbally abusive. He admitted punching him once.
Jones, from Norton, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was handed an 18-month community order.
As part of the community order Jones must complete a rehabilitation activity requirement for up to 20 days and 100 hours unpaid work.
He was also ordered to pay £150 compensation to his victim, £185 costs and a £114 surcharge.
Source: https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/road-rage-attack-sees-man-8825169
A trio of masked thugs battered a cab driver and took his car before totalling the vehicle seven miles away in a GTA style street robbery.
My London reports that Devonte McKenzie, 23, from Lambeth, blamed the incident on his alcohol addiction and claimed his memory of the brutal attack was 'hazy' as he appeared for sentencing at Wood Green Crown Court on Monday, October 9.
McKenzie even claimed - unlike his accomplices - he had not kicked or punched the defenceless cab driver, despite turning up for the robbery in a mask and running off with the key as the victim lay on the floor with broken fingers and a dislocated shoulder blade.
He was caught after blood from an airbag of the wiped out Toyota Verso was matched to his DNA one year later.
Sentencing him to 45 months in prison, Judge Andrew Holmes said McKenzie's claim of non-violence 'made no difference' as he had already pleaded guilty under a joint enterprise charge of robbery on September 6.
Joint enterprise means an individual can be convicted for the crime of another if they foresaw the crime was likely to be committed.
Prosecutor Nicholas Cribb explained how the victim had started work at around midnight on September 24, 2022, when he answered a requested pickup in Enfield.
When he arrived he was approached by three 'masked up' men who he assumed were the customers, but when they opened the car door they asked him for the keys.
As the trio 'jumped on him', the driver managed to grab his car keys and run off, but he was chased and caught moments later.
"Within a few seconds of beating him he was relieved of the keys," Mr Cribb said.
"Twenty minutes later having travelled from Enfield to Stoke Newington, the car was crashed on Stoke Newington Road."
It took until August this year when the DNA match was made and further police analysis of phone records pinned McKenzie to the robbery.
In this time McKenzie had become subject to a Community Order for a separate drugs offences, while it also emerged he carried out the robbery just one month after the licence period for a 27-month jail term for crack and heroin offences.
The attack left the victim with a broken elbow and fingers, and dislocation and ligament damage in his shoulder, which forced him off work for over a month.
In a victim impact statement he also said he had to buy a new car on finance after the crash left it completely destroyed.
"It was serious, I was very panicked," the driver said. "I thought I was going to be killed, it terrified me.
"I thought they had a knife. They were kicking me and kicking me, I thought I was going to die."
While there was no proof the cab driver was lured to the scene by the group, Mr Cribb submitted there had been some planning due to the group activity and use of masks. He also argued the offence was aggravated because it occurred at night, and due to McKenzie's poor record.
Judge Holmes said the robbery was 'really quite unpleasant' as he sentenced McKenzie to nearly four years in jail.
McKenzie will serve half of his 45-month sentence before he is released on licence.
Residents and drivers are being asked to give their views to help improve licensed taxi services across the Lancaster district.
A new consultation has been launched to gauge public opinion on the operation of licensed drivers in the area.
This will cover the ability to obtain the services of a licensed vehicle, to issues which prevent taxi use, to opinions on the driver application criteria.
Lancaster City Council is reviewing application standards and procedures due to the shortage of licensed drivers in the area.
Responses received through the consultation will help with the review, which aims to break down some of the perceived barriers for people entering the trade and make the process of becoming a taxi or private hire driver more streamlined and efficient.
The consultation can be found here and it closes on October 30: https://keepconnected.lancaster.gov.uk/t-a-s/survey_tools/have-your-say
Almost 2,500 taxi drivers in France have accused Uber of unfair competition, claiming that the ride-hailing giant’s business has caused them to lose an average of €9,300 each per year.
The trial kicks off on Friday 13 October, in Paris, with taxi drivers demanding €455 million from Uber.
Euronews reports that the 2,480 drivers say they represent 8% of the total number of taxi drivers in the country and are supported by nine taxi unions in their case against the US company.
It is one of many legal wrangles that Uber has had to grapple with since arriving in France in 2011.
Back in 2020, France’s Supreme Court ruled in favour of a former Uber driver, who claimed he should be considered as an employee of the company, not a freelancer.
The country’s high court said that the Uber driver’s freelance status was “unsubstantial”.
Based on that 2020 ruling, the taxi drivers in this trial allege that Uber is refusing to apply French labour laws, and benefits from unfair advantages.
They are subject to more restrictive rules than those holding freelance status, the taxi drivers claim.
“We intend to prove that Uber put in place a system where unlawfulness is an operational principle, a system where violating the law is used as a means to destroy the market, at the expense of competition,” the taxis drivers’ lawyer Cédric Dubucq told AFP.
Beyond their own assessment of an average annual loss of €9,300 per driver, the complainants are asking for compensation for psychological damage.
Uber said the taxis’ claim is “baseless” and “out-of-date”.
“Over 35,000 drivers and taxi drivers use our app to generate revenues. This action is against the interest of an entire sector, as well as drivers who wish to remain independent, just as thousands of independent French taxi drivers,” declared an Uber spokesperson.
In a separate judicial case earlier in October, a Parisian appeals court ruled Uber had to compensate 149 taxi drivers because of unfair competition linked to its former UberPop app.
Source: https://www.euronews.com/2023/10/13/uber-taken-to-court-in-paris-over-alleged-unfair-competition
Nine York taxi drivers had their licences revoked in 2023 for reasons including their driving, conduct and inappropriate sexual behaviour.
According to the York Press, a report from the director of environment, transport and planning for City of York Council was presented to the licensing and regulatory committee on Wednesday, October 11.
It showed that 12 licences were revoked in 2022, and four were refused, with reasons quoted as dishonesty, violence, sexual, driving, inappropriate conduct and medical.
Between January 1, 2023, and September 1, 2023, five drivers had their licence revoked for their driving, three for inappropriate conduct and one under the ‘sexual’ category.
Dave Kelway, taxi licensing manager for the council, said the 'sexual category' could include "either sexual offences or information in relation to serious sexual inappropriateness".
Mr Kelway said there was a test taxi drivers are subject to before they can obtain a taxi driving licence in York.
“Particular attention is paid to ensuring that all licence holders are ‘fit and proper’ to hold a licence,” he said.
“All applicants undertake a criminal records disclosure (DBS) to check for the existence and content of any criminal record.
“Applicants are also checked against the National Refusal and Revocation, Suspension database.
“Applicants must pass a safeguarding and knowledge test, which includes how to recognise and report the signs of abuse, customer care, equalities, knowledge of the routes around the city and other licensing requirements.
“Drivers must also pass a driving assessment and have fewer than seven penalty points.
“Before granting vehicle licences, on-site examinations are conducted to ensure that the vehicle meets MoT standards and that certain criteria are met, as set out in our current licensing conditions.
“Further proactive enforcement activity is undertaken by the means of on-street inspections, investigations and operator base visits to ensure compliance with legal requirements and licence conditions whilst ensuring the comfort, safety and appearance of vehicles.”
In 2022, 12 taxi drivers were also suspended for failing to complete a DBS requirement, but this number has dropped to just two by September 1, 2023.
Ten had been suspended for medical reasons already this year, up from six in 2022.
Source: https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/23852842.york-taxi-driver-licence-revoked-sexual-reason/
The crackdown targeted drivers operating across council boundaries to ensure public safety and compliance with regulations.
Lucio Valentino relies on his six-year-old Border Collie, Pixel, to help manage his mental health conditions, including depression and personality disorders.
Taxi drivers across the Fylde Coast are set to receive a briefing note aimed at clearing up confusion over out-of-area private hire vehicles.
Police are appealing to find a taxi driver who may have "vital clues" about the murder of Ryan Passey seven years ago since he was fatally stabbed in a Stourbridge nightclub.
A joint operation by Hull City Council, Wolverhampton Council, and Humberside Police has uncovered a number of safety issues with taxis operating in the city.
French taxi drivers are calling for government compensation after suffering significant revenue losses during the Paris Olympics.
Coventry city centre has introduced a new taxi marshal service aimed at improving safety and efficiency for late-night revellers.
A court heard harrowing details of the moment a drink-driving uninsured motorist killed three people in a 90mph crash.
The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans was amongst the thousands who enjoyed the Battle Proms at Highclere Castle on 3 August.
Swindon residents could be facing a hike in taxi fares from October after councillors gave the green light to a £1 increase in the standard fare minimum charge.
Ricky Harold, a 20-year veteran of the town’s taxi trade, was parked in a lay-by when his vehicle was struck from behind by a black Audi A2.
Chinese automotive giant Geely has deepened its commitment to the UK electric vehicle market with a £120m cash injection into London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC).
North Tyneside Council is facing a backlash over plans to increase taxi fares by 6.3%.
Nazim Asmal preyed on his victims after nights out in Preston and Darwen, driving them to secluded spots before carrying out horrific sexual assaults.
Newcastle is set to see a surge in pink taxis driven by women as part of a new initiative aimed at improving passenger safety.
An unlicensed taxi driver who picked up two vulnerable women in Aberdare has been ordered to pay nearly £1,500 in fines and costs.
Cleethorpes taxi drivers are breathing a sigh of relief after council enforcement officers cracked down on vehicles illegally parked in designated taxi ranks.
A Barry man has avoided jail after launching a drunken attack on a taxi driver who refused him entry to his vehicle.
Jersey’s taxi service is in crisis, with driver numbers plummeting by more than a quarter since 2014, a new report has revealed.
On Wednesday 27 July, more than 300 vulnerable youngsters were taken on an all-expenses paid trip to Southport.