Sunderland

A man has been charged with sexual assault in relation to an incident where two girls got into a car they believed to be a taxi in Sunderland.

41-year-old Sail Uddin has been charged with two counts of sexual assault and possession of a controlled drug.

He appeared at Sunderland Magistrates' Court today and was remanded in police custody.

He will appear at Newcastle Crown Court on 3 March.

"We regularly have officers out in Sunderland, and across the whole of the force area, speaking to people on nights out and passing on advice on how to get home safely.

"It's important that people plan how they are getting home in advance and that they choose safe and sensible options.

"If getting a taxi then use only official licensed taxis and always book them through a licensed reputable company or, if

getting a taxi from a rank, only using authorised or marshalled taxi ranks.

"All licensed taxis operating in the area will have taxi plates on display both in and outside the vehicle and it's a good idea to take a photo on your phone of the licence plate of the taxi you use.

"Try and get a taxi with your friends and don’t share taxis with strangers or those who have just befriended you.

"Never just get into cars that look like taxis or accept lifts from strangers in any circumstances. If you have any concerns or need assistance then contact police straight away."

– NORTHUMBRIA POLICE DEPUTY CHIEF CONSTABLE STEVE ASHMAN
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Liverpool

Armed robbers struck at a Liverpool bowling alley in the early hours.

It is believed the robbers were in a car which deliberately smashed into a taxi carrying three staff members from the Hollywood Bowl on Edge Lane Retail Park shortly after midnight on Monday.

Three men, armed with what is believed to be a sledgehammer, then got out of the car and forced the staff back into the building where they threatened them before escaping with a substantial quantity of cash.

Up to three more gang members are believed to have waited outside with the taxi driver before all six escaped in a black Ford Galaxy previously been stolen from the Sefton area.

The car was last seen heading towards the cinema on the retail park and is yet to be recovered.

Police said no-one was injured but all three staff members and the taxi driver were left distressed by their ordeal.

Detective Chief Inspector Phil McEwan said: “This was a particularly nasty robber which has left the staff members and taxi driver extremely distressed

“Detectives from Liverpool North’s burglary and robbery team are investigating this incident - CCTV from the area and bowling alley is being sought and the taxi and alley have been forensically examined by crime scene investigators.

“Even at this time of the morning Edge Lane is a busy area of our city, especially as a nearby fast food restaurant is open 24-hours on this retail park and I would ask anyone who was in the area at the time to get in contact.

“Maybe you saw a number of men acting suspiciously in the area? Or saw the collision with the taxi and thought nothing of it? Any information you may have, no matter how small, could assist with our investigation.”

All of the offenders are described as white, in their mid-20s, wearing dark coats with the hoods pulled up and dark tracksuit bottoms.


One of the offenders is thought to have worn a black North Face coat and another a black puffa-style coat.
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Dublin

Taxi drivers hold Dublin protest over ads on vehicles

Over 300 taxi drivers protested in Dublin city centre this afternoon against a proposal to remove the right of drivers to advertise on their vehicles.

The National Private Hire & Taxi Association (NPHTA) and Tiománaí Tacsaí na hÉireann (TTNH) organised the rally which took place between College Green and George’s Street.

“Only authorised advertisements will be allowed on vehicles if this proposal is passed,” said Dave McGuinness, chairperson of TTNH. “Anything authorised requires a payment,” he added.

Taxi drivers are unhappy with a plan put forward by Minister for Public Commuter Transport Alan Kelly’s to remove the right of taxi drivers to advertise on their vehicles. Drivers were also out to highlight the misuse of a transport phone application.

Transport for Ireland offers a taxi driver check app on their website which taxi passengers can use to verify their driver’s licence and registration. According Mr McGuinness, the application can be tampered with and is being used illegally. “Any profile can be changed without the owner of the profile knowing about it,” said Mr McGuinness.

Mr McGuinness says a sub-committee of the taxi advisory committee wrote to the Minister last week asking him to make a statement about the misuse of the application but that he refused. Mr McGuinness says that Mr Kelly is now “putting the public at risk”.

Meanwhile, David Franz, who has been a taxi driver for 14 years, is fed up with the working conditions. “This is what the situation will be like when they remove all the taxi ranks during the Luas construction,” said Mr Franz, a member of TTNH, referring to the traffic congestion building up outside Trinity College.

“The whole taxi industry is in a state, it’s spiralled out of control since the Taxi Regulation Act in 2003,” said Mr Franz, “I work on average 12 hours a day, 7 days a week just to make ends meet.”

Christopher Humphreys from the NPHTA said that it was important to hold the rally before the taxi advisory council meets on Tuesday.

A similar rally in mid-January by taxi drivers protesting over the loss of taxi spots around the city and the introduction of specialist wheelchair accessible vehicles caused severe traffic disruption around Kildare Street.

Jim Waldron, spokesman for NPHTA, said at the time that taxi drivers were worried wheelchair friendly taxis would take business away from existing drivers.

There are plans to close ranks in Stephen’s Green, Dawson Street and O’Connell Street during the extension of the Luas line.

A garda spokeswoman confirmed that despite the traffic congestion, there were no incidents arising from today’s protest.