Huddersfield.

A man led police on a chase through streets in Huddersfield driving a taxi he had jumped into when the owner left the vehicle running.

Tyrone Letremy was on bail at the time for other offences when he was spotted by police who began to follow the car which had been reported as stolen earlier on November 29 from the Hillhouse area.

Jeremy Lindsay prosecuting told Leeds Crown Court today over the next eight minutes officers described Letremy as narrowly avoiding 10 separate collisions as other vehicles had to get out of his way.

He reaches speeds up to 50mph in areas limited to 30mph, drove the wrong way round a roundabout and at the junction of Long Hill Road and Bradley Boulevard he went straight over without stopping nearly hitting a 4X4.

He drove on the wrong side of the road close to parked vehicles and went through a red light forcing the driver of an HGV to take evasive action.

Eventually in Dalton Bank Road he took a corner too quickly and lost control colliding with an oncoming Vauxhall car causing the taxi extensive damage.

He swerved to a stop and although the police vehicle tried to box him in he managed to get out of the vehicle and ran off only to be chased and arrested. Inside the taxi police found bottles of spirits he had stolen earlier from supermarkets in the Salendine Shopping Centre.

Mr Lindsay said Letremy had a long criminal record including previous offences for taking vehicles.

The court heard he also had a long-standing drugs problem having first taken heroin when he was only 12.

Gillian Batts representing him said the theft offences were committed to get items to sell to fund his drug habit. Since his remand in prison he had managed to stabilise his condition on methadone prescription and hoped to do courses.

Letremy, 29 of New Hey Road, Salendine Nook, Huddersfield, was jailed for 21 months having been committed for sentence to the court for aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, having no insurance, seven charges of theft from shops and one of criminal damage. He also asked for three offences of theft to be taken into consideration.

Judge Tom Bayliss QC told him that the pre-sentence report made bleak reading suggesting he had little motivation to change.

While on bail for shoplifting offences he stole more alcohol and then took a taxi which was unattended and when spotted by police led them on an eight minute chase.

“Eight minutes is an awfully long time to put other road users in danger.”
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Newcastle

Detectives investigating the rape of a woman in Newcastle have appealed fort taxi drivers who were working the night of the attack to come forward.

The 20-year-old woman was helped into a taxi after the alleged rape in the early hours of Saturday (December 28) by a good Samaritan.

Police are also appealing for this man to come forward.


He helped her at around 2 am on the junction of Newgate and Grainger Streets in the city centre.
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Middlesboro

A TAXI driver in Middlesbrough is campaigning for tougher checks on minibus drivers – claiming that people with criminal convictions are being allowed to drive them.

Under the current system, all drivers of both Hackney and private hire cabs have to undergo rigorous criminal records checks before they are granted licences by the council.

But minibus drivers – known as “passenger carrying vehicles” drivers – do not have to go through the same checks unless they are driving groups classed as vulnerable.

Taxi driver Rasub Afsal, who drives in Middlesbrough, has been campaigning for the law to be changed to ensure minibus drivers go through the same checks as taxi drivers.

He said people were at risk because of a loophole in the law – and said he knew “many” drivers who were convicted at court who made the switch to driving minibuses to avoid the criminal checks.

Mr Afsal, a self-employed taxi driver, said: “This loophole is not good. It is putting the public at risk and something needs to be done about it.”

Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald was asked to get involved by Mr Afsal and wrote a letter to the Department for Transport highlighting his concerns. He has pledged to write again to the new under secretary for transport.

He said: “Whilst Mr Rasub Afsal has raised an important issue, his concerns were not shared by the then transport minister, Norman Baker.

“The minister ruled out any immediate prospect of a change in the regulations on the grounds that there was very little risk to the public. Amongst other things, all drivers do have to be CRB checked when driving vulnerable groups where the risk is obvious.

“I have met with Mr Afsal and said in my letter to Norman Baker that I can see the attraction of having a consistent set of regulations that apply to all drivers of Hackney Carriages, Private Hire Vehicle or Passenger Carrying Vehicles. The Minister was of a different view to that of Mr Afsal.


“The Minister said that whilst he wasn’t saying that there wasn’t any risk at all, he felt the risk was low and that the current regime was adequate. He has moved onto another Ministry and in those circumstances it would be useful to see if his successor agrees. I will make that enquiry.”