A cabbie has been jailed after his own dashcam recorded him sexually assaulting a female passenger.

Police say Imran Yaseen targeted the woman at about 11pm on 14 February after picking her up in Nottingham city centre. 

The victim, a woman in her 30s, was sittting in the front passenger seat when the 40-year-old began making inappropriate comments and touching her leg.

Nottinghamshire Police said he later pulled over near Clifton and subjected the woman to a serious sexual assault.

Yaseen was arrested the following day after the taxi firm identified him.

His car was then seized along with an internal facing dashboard camera installed to protect him and other drivers from harm, the force said.

When officers downloaded the footage, they were able to see and hear the entire incident.

Yaseen, from Bilborough, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault at Nottingham Crown Court in March.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday 14 November he was jailed for 16 months and added to the sex offenders’ register for ten years.

He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention notice that will prevent him from driving a taxi when he is released from prison and placed on the sex offenders' register for ten years.

PC Tom Gregory said: "This was an opportunist assault on a vulnerable female passenger and I am pleased Yaseen has now been jailed.

"The victim in this case put her trust in him to take her home safely and he utterly abused that trust by subjecting her to a prolonged sexual assault.

“Thanks to the evidence contained on his own dashcam camera, he had little option but to plead guilty and will now spend a significant amount of time in time in prison."

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Midlothian Council has relaxed its strict rules on tinted windows, acknowledging concerns from local drivers.

The previous regulations required taxi windows to meet a specific light transmission level, which often clashed with the factory-fitted windows of newer vehicles.

This forced drivers to incur significant costs to replace the windows, as highlighted by the Midlothian Taxi Owners Association.

The association argued that the stringent rules were outdated and unnecessary, particularly given the advancements in vehicle technology. They emphasised the financial burden and potential safety implications of replacing factory-fitted windows.

In a letter to the council's general purposes chairperson Councillor David Virgo, the association said: "We feel a relaxation of the strict vehicle window tinting requirements would form best practice and save operators money and improve safety.

"We recently had an owner change the rear windows in their vehicle to meet requirements. This cost was in excess of £2k. Unless you own a 'window tint light meter', then it's often very difficult, if not impossible, to tell if windows are compliant or not when purchasing a vehicle for use as a private hire."

In response to these concerns, the council has adjusted the regulations.

The new rules now require a minimum light transmission level of 65% for rear windows, excluding tailgate glass, a more lenient standard than the previous 70%.

Councilors acknowledged the changing landscape of the taxi industry and the need for regulations to adapt to modern vehicle designs.

The committee unanimously approved the changes to the regulations.

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Tunbridge Wells could soon become Kent's second most expensive place to hail a taxi.

Local taxi driver Clayton Berry has submitted a proposal to the borough council seeking a 60p increase for a standard two-mile journey.

The proposed fare hike, if approved, would take effect next month.

The increase is attributed to rising operational costs, including vehicle maintenance, licensing fees, card transaction charges and the overall cost of living.

Currently, a two-mile journey on 'tariff one' costs £8. With the proposed increase, it would rise to £8.60. For 'tariff two' journeys, the cost would increase from £11.80 to £12.70.

If implemented, these new rates would place Tunbridge Wells second only to Sevenoaks in terms of taxi fare costs within Kent.

Mr Berry has also requested an increase in the 'additional passenger capacity charge' from £2 to £3 for journeys with more than four passengers.

The borough council's licensing committee debated the proposal on Tuesday, November 19th. 

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Owner of Salford firm Taxi Transfers, Stuart Ryan, saw a video about a local OAPs Christmas Party in December being charged £30 an hour for room rental.

He contacted the organisers and met up with Tony Flynn and gave him £150 towards the cost of the party.

Tony said: “ We are honestly touched by his generosity and his community spirit … a true gentleman….Stuart we salute you.”

  PHTM SO PROUD OF OUR TRADE

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Users of taxis are being asked to take part in a short, anonymous survey during November to help understand what concerns they have. Their answers will potentially shape future improvements in the industry.

The survey is being conducted by University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) Professor Joanne Westwood and Dr Helen Richardson Foster, who were asked to help by Shaz Malik, founder of Chorley Taxi Association (CTA).

Professor Westwood, from the University’s Connect Centre for International Research on Interpersonal Violence and Harm, said: “This survey is sense-checking Lancashire’s taxi users. People use taxis for all sorts of reasons and sometimes it’s the only mode of transport available.

“Despite a range of safety features being in place, we’ve heard anecdotally that some people don’t feel safe being in taxis so we want to capture people’s thoughts and discover what makes them feel unsafe. Our aim is to get a clear picture and then see what can be done to help users and the taxi drivers.”

The academics were approached to undertake this research by Shaz Malik, founder of Chorley Taxi Association (CTA), who has raised concerns about fraudulent taxi drivers and Uber drivers crossing borders.

Amy Hodkinson from the CTA, an advocate for women, has highlighted simple measures that can make a big difference.

She said: “Like dropping passengers to safe drop-off locations, such as well-lit areas or spots with more foot traffic, ensuring every woman feels safe and respected on her travels. This survey will give us a better understanding how customer feels”.

Mr Malik said: “Taxi drivers play a vital role in our local communities and are a key cog in our transport link. Our goal is to ensure that traveling by taxi is as safe as possible for both passengers and drivers. This is your opportunity to share your experience, it is multiple questions and it doesn’t take long to complete, the survey is anonymous.

“Cross-border taxi services have complicated matters, raising concerns about customer safety due to the presence of fraudulent taxi drivers exploiting the situation as seen in many cases around the country.”

In the summer, they told the Post: “Public safety is of paramount importance to us. Partnership working with our Licensing colleagues and other agencies shows our commitment to upholding our responsibilities; we expect drivers and vehicles licensed by us to always maintain the highest standards. This is irrespective of the administrative boundary within which they are operating at any particular time.

Mr Malik said of the CTA’s extra checks: “At CTA, we take pride in the fact that these regulations effectively eliminate poor drivers.

"Drivers who are part of any association shows they support this and it’s another layer of safety we are always looking at improving safety for the customer and for drivers."

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