A man produced a knife and stole a car while out on a test drive before going on to rob two taxi drivers and assault a police officer.
Burnley Crown Court heard how in November 2020, Mohammed Farook, of no fixed abode, went to Manchester to test drive a Seat Leon that was for sale for £1,495.
The Lancashire Telegraph reports that he arrived with another man around midnight and went for a drive with the seller.
Joe Boyd, prosecuting said a price was agreed and bank details were asked for before Farook’s friend said they would go and get some cash from Oldham.
Mr Boyd said: “The defendant then produced a knife and swung it at the seller just missing his arm, before leaving with the car.
“The car was later spotted on the M60 speeding at more than 70mph. Police gave chase and reached speeds of up to 140mph before the car made a U-turn and ended up driving down the wrong side of the carriageway into oncoming traffic on the M62.”
A few days later on November 4, Farook was in Burnley when he was picked up by a taxi driver at 4am.
Mr Boyd said: “He was initially respectful but when they reached the destination, he pulled a blade on the taxi driver and pointed it towards him, cutting him on the elbow and demanding he give him some money.
“In doing so he fell out of the car and the driver saw this as his chance to drive off.”
On November 6, a similar incident occurred when Farook, again in Burnley, was picked up by a different taxi driver.
Mr Boyd told the court he tried to get the driver to take him down an unlit narrow lane, but he refused and instead they ended up in a cul-de-sac which is where Farook grabbed the taxi driver round the neck and put his hands round his throat.
Mr Boyd went on: “He demanded money from him and took a small purse which contained around £200.
“The defendant was linked to both cases by the phone he used to book the taxis.”
The court heard how not long after, Farook was caught shoplifting in Burnley.
He tried to run from the police and ended up on the roof of Burnley College where he stayed for four hours, with police and fire crews attending the scene.
Upon coming down he was arrested, and police discovered he was wanted for the robberies and the Manchester offences.
Farook, of Burnley, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, possession of a bladed article, two counts of possession of an offensive weapon, attempted robbery and robbery.
He was also sentenced for the assault of an emergency worker which took place in July 2022 while he was on bail, where he was caught in Preston trying to get into a property and was seen on CCTV with a knife.
He was found hiding in some bushes and when he stood up a knife fell out of his pocket.
Mr Boyd went on: “He was frothing at the mouth and appeared to be on something and was kicking, punching and headbutting the police van while sat in the back.
“He threatened to shoot an officer and punched one in the face.”
Farook, 23, has 39 convictions for 94 offences.
Defending, Jane Dagnall said her client had had a truly “rubbish” upbringing, laced with trauma and abuse and had been let down by his family and the system.
He was jailed for six years and seven months and banned from driving for 51 months.
A taxi has been left damaged after a "large" piece of brick was thrown at its windscreen while it was being driven.
The Lancashire Telegraph reports that the taxi was hit on Roman Road at the junction with Fishmoor Drive at around 5pm on Saturday 8 April and was carrying a passenger at the time.
The large piece of brick was thrown at the driver's side of the windscreen, causing damage but thankfully there were no injuries.
Police say it is believed the person involved was in a group of four or five teenagers.
A spokesperson for the police added: "This is the second incident in two days, and we encourage parents to speak with their children and discourage this behaviour.
"Please remind them of the dangers of throwing stones at passing vehicles.
"We will patrol this area over the weekend and offer reassurance to drivers and the local community."
Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has any information should contact 101 quoting log number 1095 of April 8, 2023/
London cab driver, Micky Harris launches cab hailing app ‘Unify London’, to give cabbies a better deal while helping charities.
Taxi Charity volunteer Micky Harris has used an unexpected legacy from his late wife Barbara to create the Unify London App. Barbara regularly joined Micky on Taxi Charity trips to the continent before her death and she left instructions that Micky was to use the legacy to support the cab trade and help charities run by taxi drivers.
The Unify London App is very different to anything else that is currently available to London cab drivers. There is no surge pricing, no hidden fees, no cancellations, hired from the hail, light off-meter on and unlike other Apps the Unify London App will give cab drivers the full metered fare. In addition, charities including the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, The London Taxi Drivers’ Charity for Children, The Albany Taxi Charity and the Magical Taxi Tour will benefit every time the app is used.
Micky Harris, London cab driver and Taxi Charity volunteer said, “Adjusting to life without Barbara has been incredibly difficult. However, when Barbara passed, she left me a wonderful legacy, asking me to use the money to unify the cab trade. Understanding and formulating how best to use her legacy has undoubtedly given me something to get up for every day; I knew that I wanted to combine Barbara’s love of the Taxi Charity with her wishes to support the cab trade and the result is the Unify London App.
“While I was developing the App it was very important to me that the driver received the full metered fare and that the customer is never charged more than the TfL regulated booking fee. What the trade needed was a fair App where the drivers got all the fare. This isn’t a commercial venture, this idea for the app, has come from the heart of someone who cares for the trade made possible by the wonderful and unexpected legacy from Barbara.”
Brian Heffernan, London Cab driver and Chairman of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans said, “Micky has been a wonderful volunteer for the Taxi Charity and we have recently asked him to join the committee. His late wife Barbara was an important part of our trips with veterans to the Netherlands and Normandy and I know how very proud she would be of Micky creating this cab app which will benefit drivers and support the Taxi Charity and other trade charities.”
A cabbie who was pulled over by police due to his speed was more than nine times the limit for cocaine.
The News and Star reports that Darren Weston, 36, was taking another taxi driver home just after midnight on December 20 when he was noticed by officers, Workington Magistrates’ Court heard.
Peter Kelly, prosecuting, said police who were on patrol in Workington saw the Skoda being driven by Weston and had concerns about the speed of the vehicle.
He was pulled over on Church Road in Harrington and was spoken to. A drugs wipe gave a positive indication for cocaine. The defendant was arrested and taken to the police station.
A blood sample was taken which showed he had 95mcg of cocaine per litre of blood. The limit is 10mcg.
Mr Kelly said Weston had not been in trouble for over a decade and had been co-operative with police.
The defendant, of Bowness Court, Workington, pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit.
John Cooper, defending, said: “Speaking to Mr Weston, he is confident someone has reported him to the police. The officer knew his name when he got out.
“It’s a guilty plea at the first opportunity. He has always been a gentleman who has stayed out of trouble.
“Things have got the better of him. He has been on a night out, offered it and taken it.
“He is a taxi driver. He was in a taxi. There’s no suggestion he was working. He will lose his job. He lives with his partner. He has four children. He is going to lose everything.
“There was someone else in the car. Another taxi driver going home. Not a paying customer.”
Weston was banned from driving for 14 months. He was fined £120 and must pay £85 costs and a £48 victim surcharge.
Source: https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/23437990.workington-taxi-driver-stopped-due-speed-cocaine-limit/
A teenager has been sentenced after being caught dealing Class A drugs from a taxi in Oldham town centre.
The Oldham Times reports that Barry Stott, 19, from Manchester appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court on Tuesday 4 April, after pleading guilty to possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply and possessing cannabis and a scalpel.
Prosecutor Simon Barrett told the court how in January of this year police were on duty in Oldham looking for a man wanted on recall from prison when they noticed two men on the junction of Henshaw Street and Naylor Street, one being Stott.
Stott was in the back of a taxi and an exchange took place between him and the other man.
There was a “short struggle” between Stott and the police, and the 19-year-old was arrested.
He was found in possession of 80 wraps of crack cocaine and heroin, a small amount of cannabis, two phones, a scalpel, and £429 in cash.
The drugs were later found to have a total value of more than £800.
Mr Barrett told the court that the prosecution’s case was that Stott was a “street dealer of Class A drugs operating a drugs line”.
The court heard that Stott had one previous conviction for the possession of a knife and was breaching a community order when he was arrested in Oldham.
In mitigation, defence barrister Saul Brody said Stott “performed a limited function” and a “lesser role” in the drug’s operation and was “under direction”.
He told the court that Stott has been “supplying end users” but was working for somebody else who Stott was “unwilling or unable to name”.
The court heard that when police seized Stott’s phone following his arrest a message was found that read, “I’ll clap you round your head if you carry on ignoring the ting, I’ll take the line of you”.
Mr Brody said that the message was “clear evidence” that Stott was working for somebody else and that it included a “threat of violence” and a warning that Stott could lose his role within the operation.
He added that Stott had told him that he used the scalpel to “separate pieces of crack cocaine”.
Addressing Stott while passing sentence, judge Tina Landale said: “You are only 19 years of age and getting up to some very serious crime.
“It is your first time in custody, and it is a terrible situation for a young man of 19 years of age.”
She noted that Stott was found in possession of a “burner phone” when arrested to help him “sell as much as possible” and a “lot of money” showing it was a successful operation.
Judge Landale said she accepted that Stott was not “the brains” behind the operation and was working for somebody else.
She said that his young age was in his favour and gave him credit for his guilty pleas sentencing him to two years in a young offenders institution.
Source: https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/23434136.teenager-caught-dealing-class-drugs-oldham-taxi/
A former paratrooper turned pet taxi driver is in the running for an Animal Star Award for his work in Wakefield and Pontefract.
Tariq Rehman, 75, from Stechford, had his licence removed by Solihull Council in November last year following a complaint from a passenger.
A taxi firm boss has branded the criminal justice system "broken" after new figures revealed almost a third of offenders in the town reoffended within a year.
Dramatic CCTV footage has captured the moment a hooded figure set a taxi alight on a residential driveway.
A Drongan taxi driver has been convicted of sexually assaulting a female passenger after offering to waive her fare in exchange for sex.
Artur Nowostawski has been jailed for six years and nine months after he attacked a taxi driver earlier this year.
Taxi drivers in the city are facing significant financial losses after a series of electric vehicle charging point failures left them unable to operate.
Police are appealing for help to trace a man who disappeared after getting into a taxi bound for the Otley area of Leeds.
The company’s operator licence includes a condition ordering all drivers to undergo the same training as those from other companies.
Police have stopped a private hire driver who was driving the wrong way on the M1 close to Junction 8 at Hemel Hempstead.
Newcastle City Council is set to introduce strict new measures to tackle illegal and inconsiderate parking near Newcastle International Airport.
West Mercia Police is appealing for information following a rape that took place in Malvern's Priory Park early on Sunday, August 4th.
Glasgow taxi users could be facing a near-10% fare increase and extended night-time charges.
At least 14 cars have been damaged since June, with drivers suffering financial loss and emotional distress.
The attack happened at around 12.45pm on Etruria Vale Road, Stoke, when the victim, driving a Toyota Avensis, was punched in the face by one of the men.
Cumberland Council has taken decisive action to protect public safety by revoking the licence of a taxi driver charged last week with a serious racially aggravated offence.
A historic bridge has been closed indefinitely after an Uber car became wedged on Saturday morning.
A local councillor has sparked a debate on passenger safety after claiming that using locally licensed taxis is safer than hailing an Uber.
A taxi driver was attacked and subjected to racist abuse after two brothers refused to pay him up front.
Christopher Hilling, 64, admitted to engaging a child in sexual activity at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday 8 August.