HULL

A TAXI driver smashed his partner's head against a kitchen unit so hard that he left her skull exposed, a court heard. Adrian Lees, 46, had been arguing with his girlfriend of eight years at their home in Hamlyn Avenue, west Hull, over money struggles, on August 23, last year.

The argument turned into a fight, which resulted in his partner sustaining the horrific injury.

The court heard he grabbed her hair with such force that it pulled clumps out. During the scuffle, he hit her head on the unit.

She was taken to hospital and required 42 stitches to her head.

Despite being left permanently scarred, the woman plans to reunite with Lees.

Prosecuting, Megan Rhys said: "At the time of the incident, [the victim] did not want to get the police involved and said she was unable to remember what happened.

"She told police they had both been drinking alcohol in the afternoon. She started to have a go at the defendant, which led to an argument. "She told him to shut up and go away, before they started pushing and shoving each other.

"When the defendant was arrested at his mother's house, he said [the victim] had pushed him and he fell backwards, grabbing her, which caused her to fall and hit her head."

When police officers attended the couple's home to carry out their investigation, they discovered a small cannabis farm.

Officers uncovered ten plants with a street value of £2,571, and growing equipment.

The couple both denied having any connection to the cannabis.

Lees pleaded guilty to wounding and permitting his premises to be used for the production of cannabis.

In mitigation, John Thackray said Lees was mortified with the injury his partner sustained and blamed alcohol for causing problems in their relationship.

Mr Thackray said: "The reality is that these two are going to get back together.

"In the defendant's own words, 'without drink, we are in a loving relationship'.

"He is mortified with the injury to [the victim].

"They had stresses in life and were dealing with them in the wrong way and drinking heavily.

"We are not dealing with deliberate punches or kicks."

Judge Mark Bury described Lees's behaviour as an "appalling incident of domestic violence" and sentenced him to 27 months in prison.

He said: "This incident is extremely serious. You and your long-term partner were at home, you had both been drinking and you were arguing.

"You were arguing over money and the fact you were having to work long hours to make your mortgage payments and she had other commitments which meant she could not work.

"They are commonplace arguments in households across the country, but what happened next is not. This was despicable behaviour.

"I accept there may have been some provocation but then you grabbed her by the hair with so much force you pulled it out and you banged her head."

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CHESHIRE East is lobbying the Government for a change in taxi driver licensing laws because it fears a loophole could put children at risk from sexual predators.

The council says it is confident in its own rigorous checks on the drivers it licenses – but is not happy that drivers licensed by other local authorities are allowed to operate in Cheshire East.

It fears this could be used by criminals involved in child sexual exploitation and trafficking children from one area to another.

Cllr Rhoda Bailey (Con) told Tuesday’s cabinet meeting: “Cheshire East is very good, adept, vigilant, at making sure that applicants for taxi and private hire vehicle licenses are fit and proper people...

“The law now allows people who have been refused licences in this authority to go to another authority and get one there. We know this has happened in some cases.”

She continued: “Those operators from other areas, can be operating in Cheshire East. Where those drivers and operators acquire criminal convictions, we wouldn’t know about it because only the licensing authority granting the licence would be told by the police.

“The law is frankly too lax in relation to this situation. It’s a gap which is not in the interests of the fare paying public, it’s not in the interest of vulnerable travellers.”

Cllr Rachel Bailey, who has responsibility for safeguarding children, told the meeting: “With regard to child sexual exploitation and any connection to taxi drivers, my understanding is that, within Cheshire East, there has been one case but one case is one too many.”

The council first expressed its concerns over the licensing loophole nearly a year ago when leader Michael Jones wrote to the Government. He didn’t get a response.

Deputy leader David Brown (Con) said this week the council would write immediately to all local MPs, the Local Government Association and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin pushing for a change to the law.

Crewe councillor Dorothy Flude (Lab) told the meeting she was disappointed the Government hadn’t responded to Cllr Jones’ letter.

“We’re an authority that does look seriously at who actually gets a licence in our authority and this is not assisted by our neighbouring local authorities,” she said.

Speaking after the meeting Cllr Flude reiterated she had every confidence in the way Cheshire East licensed its drivers and wanted a system which meant there was nationwide confidence.

She said she wanted a change in the legislation because ‘we want to be 100% sure that people who have criminal convictions are not being able to come and work in Cheshire East’.

http://goo.gl/aq7EKA

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A 36-year-old man from Dukinfield has been arrested on suspicion of rape and bailed pending further enquiries as police continue to appeal for witnesses

A man has been arrested after a woman was raped in Stalybridge on New Year’s Day.

The 18-year-old was attacked after getting into a ‘minibus-style’ cab between 4.30am and 6.30am on January 1 after celebrating the New Year.

The man behind the wheel drove the woman away from her home before stopping on wasteland on Castle Street, near to the Texaco petrol station, and raping her.

A 36-year-old man from Dukinfield has been arrested on suspicion of rape and bailed pending further enquiries.

Officers launched an investigation with Tameside council licensing bosses in a bid to track down the black or dark blue ‘minibus-style’ taxi.

It is unclear whether the vehicle was a genuine taxi or the man was posing as a cab driver in an unlicensed car.

After the incident the police appealed for information on the woman’s attacker, describing him as Asian around 27-years-old, about 5ft 8ins, of a slim or medium build, with short dark hair longer on the top, and stubble.

He was wearing jeans and spoke with an Asian accent.

Police are still urging anyone with information about the taxi - or the attack - to come forward.

Det Insp Richard Ennis from GMP’s Tameside Division said: “We are continuing to work alongside Tameside council to investigate the events of the night and we have had a really good response from the public following our earlier appeal.

“While we have made an arrest our enquiries are ongoing and we would still urge anyone with information or any witnesses to contact police.

“The vehicle that the victim got into has been described as a black or dark blue minibus-style taxi, possibly with a rear sliding passenger door.

“We are making significant enquiries alongside Tameside council to try and identify this vehicle, but we cannot be definite that this was a genuine taxi, or whether it was someone posing as a taxi.”

http://goo.gl/CCmjOU

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DERBY

Taxi drivers who have their licence revoked in one area could get one in another without anyone knowing about their previous misdemeanors, a Derby MP has warned the Commons.

Mid-Derbyshire's Pauline Latham said there was a "very serious" loophole in the taxi licensing process.

The current system forces applicants to disclose if they have had a licence refused or revoked but there is no way of telling if the applicant is telling the truth.

Taxi drivers are thoroughly checked for a criminal record but issues that wouldn't show up on police records may not be known about.



Mrs Latham said the loophole had meant that a driver who has had a licence revoked by the council in one area for asking out young girls who used his taxi was successful in getting a new licence from a neighbouring authority.

She asked for a statement by the Department for Transport on the "possibility of a register of taxi drivers" so councils can check applicants to see if they have had a licence refused or revoked by another authority. 

In his reply, Chris Grayling MP, leader of the House of Commons, agreed it was a "very real problem" that had been identified and said he would make sure the Secretary of State for Transport was fully briefed on the issue.

Mrs Latham said: "The majority of taxi drivers would be truthful but there would be some that slip the net and there's no way of checking.

"This loophole is potentially very serious as is shown in the case of a driver who had his licence revoked being able to get another one because there is no mechanism to check the record of a driver.

"I am grateful for the vigilance of Councillor Jane Orton, from Amber Valley Borough Council, in identifying the problem and bringing it to my attention.

"I hope the Department of Transport will look seriously and report back to the House of Commons on the possibility of creating a national register of taxi drivers so authorities can be sure the applicants are telling the truth about their history."

Mrs Orton said the incident where a taxi driver had been asking out young girls was not in Derbyshire.

She said she had been told about it by a councillor from another part of the country.

http://goo.gl/tewNxL