Oxford Crown Court

 A TAXI driver accused of raping a woman while she slept at his home claims she assaulted him, a court heard.

Abul Chowdhury denies one count of rape and one count of assault by penetration on two women in the early hours of May 17 in Witney.

Oxford Crown Court heard yesterday that the two women – who cannot be named for legal reasons – had gone for a night out in Oxford. They were left stranded at a hotel when two men offered to take them home but took them to the Holiday Inn at Peartree roundabout instead.

Michael Shaw, prosecuting, said the women called 35-year-old Chowdhury, who had given them free lifts in the past.

Mr Shaw said Chowdhury offered them breakfast at his home in Blakes Avenue.

One of the women told the court she awoke in the early hours to find Chowdhury raping her. She said: “I was shocked. I pretended to stay asleep.” After the incident, her friend revealed Chowdhury had also sexually assaulted her that night.
     
But, in a statement read to the court, Chowdhury claimed the woman had sexually assaulted him.

He said: “ She wanted to have sex with me but I said it was not allowed because of my religion.”
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 GLASGOW

 A TAXI driver has been banned from the roads after offering a female passenger discounted fares in exchange for sex and threatening another.

Rizwan Ziarab has already been convicted by the courts of threatening and abusive behaviour in relation to the incidents and has now been taken off the road after police said he posed a serious threat to public safety.

Licensing chiefs in Glasgow heard how in January 2014 he told a female passenger who claimed not to have the full £20 for the short trip between the city centre and Pollokshields she could only pay half if she performed a sex act.

He also offered to waive the full fare if the passenger had full sex with him. The passenger refused the offer and later notified the police.

On another occasion he is accused of threatening and abusive behaviour towards female passengers he was taking between Glasgow city centre and Govan, having demanded an additional £20 on top of the previously arranged fee.

During the hearing, a Police Scotland representative told the council's licensing committee: "Mr Ziarab, whilst at a Shell petrol station on Victoria Road, Glasgow, behaved in a threatening and abusive manner by attempting to negotiate with a customer, in relation to a taxi fare due to him by suggesting she carry out acts of a sexual nature in exchange for a reduction in the fare."

It comes weeks after it emerged a Glasgow black taxi driver had allegedly offered to waive the fares of female passengers if they urinated in the back of the cab.

In another case heard yesterday, a private hire driver was also removed from the roads after cannabis with a street value of almost £150,000 was found in his car.

Mr Dolan had been stopped by Lancashire Police near Preston when he was believed to be travelling from Merseyside to Glasgow on the M6 in June 2014. Police were acting on intelligence passed on to them.
     
They discovered 30kg of the class B drug split into around 300 solid blocks. He was given a two-year suspended sentence and given 200 hours community service.
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 BLACKBURN taxi drivers are set for showdown talks with town hall bosses this week over plans to implement a new penalty points system they fear could force them off the road.

The proposals, which cover both black cab and private hire operators, will go before Blackburn with Darwen Council’s licensing committee on Monday, September 21.

But the details will be thrashed out before then, on Thursday at the Taxi Forum, along with the rising cost of the annual driver’s badge.

The points scheme aims to formalise the system of dealing with license breaches, rather than the current method of written or verbal warnings.

It is proposed that if a driver reaches 20 points in a year they would be refereed to authorities for possible sanctions. Offences would include things such as failure to display plates (10 points), illegal tyres (10 points) and smoking inside the cab (5 points).

Council documents state: “It is felt that the current system is not totally effective in dealing with drivers who repeatedly flout responsibilities on items which may in isolation be considered minor. By dealing with cumulative breaches on a more formal footing it may re-enforce the need for drivers and vehicle owners to take their responsibilities seriously.”

But drivers are wary of the changes and worry the points could be accrued ‘cheaply’, forcing them off the road.

Blackburn Taxi Association chairman Mohammed Younis said: “This would be the first time a points system is introduced in Blackburn. The drivers are concerned as we think the one put forward by the council is too high and the 20-point mark could be reached too easily.
     
“That means they could be forced off the road and as a lot of drivers are in their 50s and 60s it’s a concern.”

Last month, council taxi boss Jim Smith said: “This new points scheme does not penalise the drivers financially, it is just a more formal way of making sure the taxis in the borough are in the best condition for customers.”
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STOKE 
 
 TAXI driver Mohammed Shamraiz sexually assaulted a drunken women in his cab.

The 31-year-old encouraged the customer to sit in the front seat before he groped her breast.

Shamraiz, of Salisbury Street, Tunstall, denied sexual assault but was convicted by a jury after a trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court this week.

Now the married dad has been jailed for eight months.


The court heard the incident happened last year as the woman took a taxi home.

After her partner and child got out the cab, Shamraiz encouraged her to move into the front passenger seat.

He took advantage of the fact she was drunk and groped her breast.

Michael Trevelyan, defending, said Shamraiz lost his job as a result of the offence.

He added the defendant's wife is expecting another child and urged the judge to deal with him by way of a community order or a suspended sentence.

But Recorder Adrian Reynolds said courts have to make an example of people who abuse their position.

Jailing Shamraiz, Recorder Reynolds said: "You encouraged her to sit in the front. Knowing that she was drunk and vulnerable you touched her sexually.

"It was not the worst sexual assault by any means but it was still a gross invasion of her privacy and a gross abuse of your position.

"She had made a decision to get a taxi home thinking she would be safe.

"I have no choice but to send you to prison. Women are expected to feel safe when they are in taxis.

"You have let down yourself and every other taxi driver.

"Any women reading about this case will think twice about taking a taxi if she thinks somebody like you is likely to do something like this. I would be failing in my public duty if I do not send you to prison."

Shamraiz will be on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

After the hearing, Councillor Randy Conteh, Stoke-on-Trent City Council's cabinet member for community safety, said: "Shamraiz had his licence suspended by the licensing committee in July 2014 as soon as the charges were first brought. He returned his badge straight away. He has not been licensed to operate a taxi in the city since then.

"We take any such charges extremely seriously and use our powers to act swiftly. Our thoughts remain with the victim at this time.

"I've personally been a member of the Licensing and Registration Panel and I am aware we have a thorough vetting process for all taxi drivers.

"They all have to have a disclosure and barring service check, and we work closely with the police who notify us of any arrestable offences.

"As a condition of being issued a licence, drivers must tell us of any convictions or charges brought against them within seven days. We also carry out our own checks.

"There are 1,750 licensed taxi drivers in the city, and the very vast majority are conscientious, hard-working and committed to offering a good service to residents."