A BODY that represents taxi drivers and an MP have called for more support for the industry in Bolton.

The Bolton Private Hire Association as well as MP Yasmin Qureshi and Bolton Labour councillors all say drivers have not received anywhere near enough financial support over the pandemic from Bolton Council.

A spokesman from the Private Hire Association told The Bolton News: “We are in discussions with the council at the moment over financial support but it’s been very slow.

“The pandemic has been here nearly a year and we’ve not received support yet.

“The government has been putting pressure on councils to offer support, which has been done in places like Bury, but Bolton hasn’t been given anything yet.

“With there being no entertainment business at the moment, late night bars etc, the night drivers are really struggling and trying to pick up business during the day, which just makes it harder for everyone.

“It’s been a massive struggle for all drivers just trying to provide a service to the community.

“We have no choice but to continue to work in lockdown despite less demand, taking people to hospitals and care homes when they don’t feel safe taking a bus, it’s a risk for us too.

Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi is calling on Bolton Council to offer more support to taxi drivers, with the Bolton Labour group of councillors also backing these calls.

She told The Bolton News that she had been contacted by many taxi drivers who had been hit especially hard by empty towns during Bolton’s long lockdown affecting their trade, with a lack of support packages from the council.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/19158225.bolton-taxi-drivers-yet-receive-coronavirus-support/

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JERSEY

A FORMER taxi boss who was found with almost 900 indecent images of children on his computer – a third of which were in the most serious category – has been jailed for 2½ years.

Ian Martyn Le Gallais (53) appeared before the Royal Court yesterday after the police raided his house in December 2019 and seized his devices. During initial interviews he denied downloading indecent images, but a total of 526 were subsequently found on his computer with another 489 on a back-up storage drive.

Crown Advocate Emma Hollywood, prosecuting, added that analysis of Le Gallais’s devices showed he had been chatting to like-minded individuals online about how they would sexually abuse children. Officers found 40 different Skype chats in which the defendant had shown a keen interest in young children.

Advocate Hollywood added that Le Gallais’s crimes were not victimless, as the viewing and downloading of indecent images of children fuelled and encouraged their production. She then moved for a sentence of three years.

Advocate Julian Gollop, defending, said although his client did not dispute the facts, the proposed sentence put forward by the Crown was too high. In his reasoning, Advocate Gollop said that the sexual abuse Le Gallais had spoken about with others online was ‘pure fantasy and pure roleplay’. He urged the court to recognise that his client had not been charged with any contact offences.

He also referred to similar cases previously heard by the Royal Court, including that of a former honorary police officer in 2016 who was found to have double the number of images on his devices, was sharing the files and was in a position of trust. Advocate Gollop added that despite these additional aggravating factors, the Crown had moved for a sentence of three years – the same as his client.

He also said Le Gallais, who previously owned a taxi company, had submitted a guilty plea, had provided the PINs for his devices and was of good character, with only a small number of historic motoring offences on his record. Advocate Gollop then called for a sentence of between two and 2½ years.

Lieutenant-Bailiff Anthony Olsen, presiding, said the prosecution had provided descriptions of seven images from Le Gallais’s devices to the court and the children noted within them had been subjected to degrading and vile acts of abuse. He added that after reading the descriptions, both he and the Jurats had felt shocked and saddened.

‘Images such as these are depictions of the most appalling sex crimes committed against children and that is the evil of this offence,’ he said.

He then announced the sentence of 2½ years in prison and added Le Gallais’s name to the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.

The defendant was also made subject to a restriction order which prevents him from living in a household with anyone under 18 and contacting anyone under 16 – among several other conditions.

Jurats Elizabeth Dulake and Steven Austin-Vautier were also sitting.

https://jerseyeveningpost.com/

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BARCELONA

A 24-year-old man has died after the electric scooter he was riding crashed into a taxi in the Exiample neighbourhood of Barcelona on Friday night, March 12. According to the Barcelona City Council, the fatal accident occurred at around 9pm at the junction of Calle Ausias Marc and Paseo de Sant Joan and a full investigation will be conducted into the incident.

The young man collided with a taxi on the busy road, according to officials; he suffered serious injuries and was rushed to hospital but sadly he died a short time later. The Accident Prevention and Investigation Unit (UIPA) of the Guardia Urbana have taken over the investigation.

www.euroweeklynews.com

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BRADFORD

A TAXI driver who dealt drugs from his vehicle to boost his income has been jailed for 21 months.

Iftiqar Ali, who had been a licensed cabbie since 2017, was caught with a £10,570 stash of the Class C sleeping pill type drugs, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Ali, 52, had Diazapam tablets in his hand after he was stopped by the police on Shay Lane in Halifax on February 28 last year.

A search of his home turned up a stash of Diazapam, Etizolam and Tamazepam, prosecutor Imran Khan told the court.

Ali, of Frank Street, Halifax, pleaded guilty to three offences of possessing Class C drugs with intent to supply.

Mr Khan said his taxi was pulled over by the police at 7.45pm because intelligence had been received that he may be drug dealing.

Ali’s hand had to be prised open to reveal the tablets and he shouted to another taxi driver in a language the police officers did not understand. Cash to the value of £530 was found in the vehicle.

Ali had 14 previous convictions for 33 offences. They were driving offences and matters of dishonesty, the court heard, and all were many years ago.

His barrister, Shufqat Khan said the father-of-three was deeply ashamed and regretful about what he had done.

Ali had been a drug user in the past but he had rid himself of the addiction by 2007 with the help of his supportive family. But he was left with anxiety and panic attacks and turned to prescribed sleeping pills instead.

From 2010, he could no longer get them from his doctor so he sourced them himself, Mr Khan said. That meant he knew how to obtain them to supply to others.

Ali had been a taxi driver since 2017 but that employment was now lost to him. He was a hard-working man and had obtained new work packing at a factory.

He had caused his family great distress by his actions and had left home as a consequence, Mr Khan said.

Recorder Taryn Turner told Ali it was a very serious matter that called for immediate custody.

He was dealing in drugs as a sideline because he wasn’t making enough money from taxi driving.

“Members of the public were exposed to the risk of you offering to supply them with drugs,” Recorder Turner said.

Ali’s passengers would have included elderly and vulnerable people and children.

“The court is disgusted and horrified,” Recorder Turner said.

www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk

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