LONDON

Three teenage boys have been sentenced to a total of nine-and-a-half years detention after they attempted to rob a private hire driver, who they Tasered and stabbed in the leg three times.
A mini-cab driver in his 30s picked up the trio, two aged 16 and the other 17, from Betstyle Road, in Enfield. 

During the journey they asked him questions about the car and when he parked up to drop them off in Ivy Road. in the Southgate area of North London, they demanded he hand over the car keys.
One of the teenagers attempted to wrap the driver’s seatbelt around his neck, while another Tasered him.

Although the driver managed to escape from the car and run away, the suspects quickly caught up with him and stabbed him three times in the leg before stealing the keys.

The trio, who cannot be named for legal reasons, then fled the scene without taking the vehicle on the afternoon of October 11, 2019.

The victim was helped by a member of the public until emergency services arrived. He was taken to hospital where his injuries required surgery.
Detectives from North Area Command launched an investigation and on October 16, two of the defendants were caught after they were arrested in connection with an unrelated robbery.

The third teenager, one of the 16-year-olds, handed himself in on October 21.

He was the last of the three to be sentenced in connection with this investigation.

On Wednesday (April 29) he was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court to three years’ in a young offender institution for causing grievous bodily harm with intent and attempted robbery.

The other 16-year-old boy appeared at Wood Green Crown Court in February where he was sentenced to four years and two months’ in a young offender institution having pleaded guilty to attempted robbery, possession of a prohibited weapon and aggravated vehicle taking.

The 17-year-old boy appeared at Wood Green Crown Court in February where he was sentenced to 32 months in a young offender institution having pleaded guilty to attempted robbery.

https://www.mylondon.news/news/north-london-news/watch-teenage-boys-taser-taxi-18173239

(click for Video)
-------------------------------------------------

London-based taxi service Green Tomato Cars, which operates a fleet of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, has seen a rise in demand for its services during the coronavirus outbreak.

Toyota Mirai driver Peter Jones said since restrictions were implemented just over a month ago, he has been a lot busier.

“I have been busier because a lot of people don’t want to use public transport,” he said.

“I’ve noticed more NHS staff are using our services and many key workers live quite a way away from London so I’m covering more miles than normal.”

“I had one person who works for one of our corporate clients travel from Southend to west London which is quite a long journey.”

Some companies are paying for employees to get to work from home in private hire vehicle to avoid contamination and maintain social distancing measures.

Jones notes that these journeys make up for the shortfall in the regular trips to airports while planes are grounded and holidays cancelled.

Green Tomato Cars operates 50 Toyota Mirais as part of the ZEFER project that demonstrates a viable business cases for fleets of fuel cell electric vehicles.

(rise in demand my arse)

https://www.h2-view.com/story/london-hydrogen-taxi-fleet-sees-rise-in-demand-during-coronavirus/

-----------------------------------------------------------

SCOTLAND

A taxi driver has admitted sexually abusing a young girl when he was a teenager.

Lee Weir carried out a sex act on the child at a house in Aberdeen more than 16 years ago.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard the 30-year-old used lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour towards the girl, involving an act of oral penetration.

Advocate depute Jane Farquharson QC, prosecuting, said the victim had struggled to breath during the incident, which happened between early 2003 and early 2004.

She said the girl had not told anyone at the time, but later told her mother she had been abused. A family member contacted the police in June last year, with her consent.

The court heard Weir, of Smithfield Road, Aberdeen, had told a woman he had abused the girl and wanted to go the police as he was ashamed and embarrassed.

Judge Lord Uist told him: “You have pleaded guilty to a serious offence involving sexual abuse of a child.

“Because of the present circumstances effecting the courts and everyone else I am going to adjourn this case for a longer period than normal to enable the social work department to provide a full report on you.”

Weir, who stopped work as a result of the case, is due to be sentenced at the High Court in Aberdeen in July. His bail was continued and he was put on the sex offenders’ register.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen/2179141/aberdeen-taxi-driver-admits-to-sexually-abusing-young-girl-more-than-16-years-ago/