WOLVERHAMPTON

Judge Nicholas Cartwright told 36-year-old Amjad Khan he had been in a position of trust adding: “You targeted a particularly vulnerable girl.”

Khan, of Durham Place, had denied inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity but he was found guilty at the end of his trial.

The incident took place some time between August and October in 2014.

Miss Heather Chamberlin told Wolverhampton Crown Court that Khan had not touched his young victim.

She said he had asked her to ‘flash’ for him and it was accepted the incident had not been planned.

Mr Devon Small, defending, said Khan, a father of two, had worked as a taxi driver for nine years and that he was a man of impeccable character.

He said that Khan could not explain why he had committed the offence, having now had his licence to drive a taxi revoked by Walsall Council.

The judge further made Khan the subject of a sexual harm protection order and said he must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

It comes less than a fortnight after councillors discussed plans for taxi drivers in the town to become the ‘eyes and ears’ in helping to spot the signs of child sexual exploitation.

https://goo.gl/zfAz7i

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MOTHERWELL

A taxi driver has been taken to hospital after his cab collided with a bus outside a Motherwell primary school.

The incident, which took place outside Ladywell Primary School, saw the bus and taxi collide at around noon today (Tuesday).

The driver was cut out of the car by fire crews and taken to Wishaw General Hospital with injuries.

Police confirmed that his female passenger was unharmed but that investigations are continuing into the exact cause of the accident.

Meanwhile, police are appealing for information after a man was assaulted in Wishaw Main Street on Sunday night.

The incident, which took place at 11.30pm, saw the 59-year-old victim taken to Wishaw General Hospital with minor injuries.

The man who carried out the assault is described as being of slim build and was wearing a dark hooded top and trousers.

Anyone with information on either of these incidents should contact police on 101.

Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/taxi-driver-rushed-hospital-after-8825688

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PENDLE

A stronger Taxi Licensing Policy has been agreed by Pendle Council’s Executive to ensure that the borough’s vulnerable children and adults are protected.

All taxi drivers and operators must now undertake training to spot the signs of child sexual exploitation.

They must also register with the Disclosure and Data Barring Service to allow Pendle Council to check online for any convictions since their licence was granted.

Only drivers can apply to enable this service which costs £13 per year.

Executive councillors voted for these policy changes at its latest meeting to minimise the risk of child sexual exploitation in Pendle and to safeguard anyone using a taxi, as well as the drivers themselves.

Pendle Council says it has been proactive in making sure its staff and councillors are trained to understand and deal with child sexual exploitation and safeguarding issues.

Coun. David Clegg, Chairman of the Taxi Licensing Committee, said: “Child sexual exploitation and safeguarding are very important issues for councils up and down the country.

“As well as ensuring that our taxi drivers are fit and proper through DBS checks, there’s also a wider role that drivers can play in preventing and identifying CSE or safeguarding issues.

“Understanding what they may encounter while working is essential to having a responsible taxi trade which operates for and on behalf of their community.

“Currently we have 460 drivers with licenses in Pendle – that means we have a lot of eyes and ears across the borough to spot things which may need to be reported.”

Free safeguarding training courses will be held at Nelson and Colne College and Pendle Council will ensure all new and existing drivers will have received training by the end of the year.

Those who haven’t attended by the time their license expires will have their license reviewed.

As part of the Executive’s agreed changes, all of the council’s taxi licensing policies have been put together in a single document.

https://goo.gl/Tsw8KQ

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LONDON

A raft of measures to support the black cab trade amid growing competition from private car hire services has been announced by London's mayor.

Sadiq Khan has pledged to increase the number of taxi ranks from 500 to 600 over four years and to open up 20 more bus lanes for use by cabbies.

He wants the Knowledge to be accredited as a formal qualification, allowing applicants to benefit from study loans.

In 2017 £5,000 grants will be available to scrap old and polluting taxis.

Transport for London (TfL) is also to feature taxi information in its online journey planners by summer 2017.

New rules

The plan demonstrates his intention to push ahead with new rules for private hire drivers such as Uber, the mayor's office said.

These include requiring drivers to pass an English test and more robust insurance regulations.
This would mean all drivers undergoing reading, writing and listening tests.

Earlier this month, Uber - which allows users to book and pay for a cab through a smartphone app - was given the green light for a High Court challenge against TfL over the language rule.

Uber, which is used by about two million Londoners, claimed the proposals would pile "extra costs and red tape" onto licensed private hire drivers.

Mr Khan said he was "determined to drive up standards and improve safety for every passenger in London, while protecting the future of our iconic black cabs that provide a unique and invaluable service for London".

The Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association said it welcomed the plan.

However, the RMT union, which represents taxi drivers, said it was "bitterly disappointed" that issues such as "illegal plying for hire and the abuse of the regulations" had not been tackled by the mayor.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-37347994

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GLASGOW

A GRANDFATHER who tried to coerce two females to do the toilet in the back of his black hack taxi has been jailed for more than a year.

Pervert Robert Smith, 56, told the women during taxi journeys in April and June last year that he would waive their fare if they did.

The first victim, a 31-year-old business owner refused to carry out the sick act when asked on more than one occasion.

His second victim, only 18 at the time, was scared enough to try but was unable to.

Both women reported the incidents to the police and picked Smith, from Baillieston, Glasgow , out of a number of images shown to them.

After a trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court, Smith was convicted of repeatedly attempting to coerce one woman to urinate in the taxi, and another charge of coercing the second girl into removing her lower clothing and attempting to.

Smith - a father and grandfather - claimed the women did the toilet, he didn't ask them to and was left with the mess.

On Tuesday, sheriff Joan Kerr jailed Smith for 15 months and put him on the Sex Offenders' register for 10 years.

She said: "You were in a position of trust, you were the holder of a taxi licence Mr Smith, which meant you were supposed to take people from A to B without incident, safely.

"And, I take into account the effect of these events upon the complainers who gave evidence in the case, in particular the fact that you took particular advantage of the second complainer who was young and in a vulnerable state on the night in question."

The first woman told the court that during the course of her journey, from Glasgow city centre, Smith took a wrong turn and they ended up in a secluded area.

He asked if she needed the toilet and told her he would like her to go to the toilet.

Procurator fiscal depute Niall MacDonald asked: "What did you understand about that and what he meant by that?"

She replied: "I guess, I presumed he wanted me to do it in the taxi for him to watch."

After being taken to give her police statement, she accepted she told the police that if she let him watch her he would give her the taxi journey for free.

In evidence she told the jury: "I just wanted to go home, I was just scared."

He did take her to her destination and she said she handed him two notes and went into the house, and later decided to report her ordeal.

https://goo.gl/ZaAYtl

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COVENTRY

A TAXI driver was suspended in the air for almost 50 minutes this morning following a collision with a car.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to St Lukes Road in Coventry just after 10.30am.

An ambulance, a paramedic support officer and the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance crew, in a rapid response vehicle, were sent to the scene.

Crews arrived to find a taxi wedged up in the air – on top of a car and against a wall following the smash.

Both vehicles had suffered significant damage.

The taxi driver, a man believed to be in his 40s, was trapped inside his vehicle and believed to have been knocked unconscious in the incident.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “The taxi driver was cut free before being assessed and treated for a suspected head injury as well as right arm and right leg fractures.

“In order to stabilise the man’s condition he was anaesthetised at the scene by a doctor before being transported by land ambulance to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire with a police escort.

“The driver of the car, a man believed to be 17-years-old, was out of his vehicle on arrival of ambulance staff and had escaped with very minor injuries.”