He was caught after the victim pulled insurance documents out of his pocket during the attack, which were later used to track him down.
The court heard Murphy has no previous convictions. Gerardine Small, defending, said her client does not accept the verdict of the jury. She said Murphy was of previous good character and drove a taxi with no complaints for 14 years. He has three children, including a wheelchair-bound son.
Passing sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Patricia Ryan said the assault was a serious breach of trust as Murphy was a taxi driver and the victim was his customer.
Garda Anthony O’Shea told Cathleen Noctor, prosecuting, the victim had been out with a friend on the night at a few city centre venues. She had not had much to drink when she hailed a cab on George’s Street to her home on the north side of the city. She sat in the back of the taxi and there was “normal chat” on the way.
When she got out of the cab at her home, the driver got out too and said “you look like you need a hug”.
He grabbed her arm and asked her if she wanted to go to the beach. The woman said “no chance”. She asked him what his wife would say, and told him she had to get back to her house as there were people there. Murphy then got her against a wall and tried to kiss her on the mouth, neck and face.
http://tinyurl.com/pok48cv
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West Dumbarton.
Police launch inquiry after fight breaks out over control of West Dunbartonshire Taxi Drivers Co-operative in Alexandria.
A taxi row has erupted after a Vale firm’s founder boss diverted customer phonecalls to a rival company.
Stunned committee members of Co-op Taxis in Alexandria say they were left counting the pennies after Stephen Forrest arranged to redirect all calls to Wright’s Taxis.
Confused residents calling the rank were told by a Wright’s operator that the firms had merged — which Co-op members say is rubbish.
A spokesman said: “We are angry because we lost a lot of work and we are trying to work out just how much custom we have lost as a result. Stephen Forrest has not been a director of West Dunbartonshire Taxi Drivers Co-operative Ltd since November 2012.
“Since then Mr Forrest has been engaged in a very self-absorbed and underhand smear campaign against a number of members of the co-operative in a deliberate attempt to undermine the members of the co-operative and to cause much disharmony.”
The phone lines were dead at Co-op Taxis on the morning of Tuesday, March 4 and committee members lifted the diversion that afternoon after contacting BT.
Police are carrying out enquiries and a complaint has been made to West Dunbartonshire Council. Mr Forrest defended the move, claiming the firm, which was set up by sacked drivers, is a “disgrace” and “insult” to its loyal customers.
The cabbie, who claims he was forced out, says he had the right to make the arrangement with BT as the account is in his name. He said: “It is important to let the loyal customers of Co-op Taxis know what ‘the local community taxi office’ has now become.
“As a founder director I was responsible for coining that phrase but the way the company is now run is an insult to the good people who have supported us.”
The warring cabbies are fighting over who has control of the first taxi workers’ co-operative in Scotland.
Co-op Taxis, based in Main Street, was established several years ago after a number of sacked drivers formed a self-managed co-operative.
But founder member Stephen Forrest claims the committee has not held an AGM in 16 months meaning there has been no financial update and no opportunity to vote in a new committee.
He claimed there was an alleged refusal to pick up a regular customer because they had a guide dog, explaining: “As someone who has put a great deal of time and effort into presenting Co-op Taxis as a community spirited taxi office I was appalled at this behaviour.
“Co-op Taxis has enjoyed a great deal of support and good will from local people based on the type of company we were. Sadly, in less than three years the company has become the opposite of what myself and others strived to achieve.”
Mr Forrest says he and another member joined Vale rival Wright’s Taxis after being forced out and insists he was entitled to divert the phone line after considering Co-op’s actions to be contrary to the constitution of the company.
He hoped to take some of the drivers at Co-op and form a merger with Wright’s. A spokesman for Co-op Taxis said Mr Forrest was suspended after he was discovered to be acting as an agent for another taxi operator and allegedly encouraging customers to take their business elsewhere, which Mr Forrest refutes.
He continued: “Having his agenda exposed, Mr Forrest joined this other taxi operator taking with him his two employees. No one was forced out. These comments are intended to be sensationalist and inflammatory and an obvious attempt by Mr Forrest to inflict ill will on the membership of the co-operative.
“The real disgrace here is that Mr Forrest admits to removing the tool that provides the income of 19 taxi drivers and six staff, some of which are on wage subsidies via West Dunbartonshire Council.”
He added: “The full membership would like to reassure the public that allegations made by Mr Forrest are unfounded and that the co-operative values continue to be supported by its members.
“We’d like to thank the public for their continued support and good wishes during these times.”
Allan Wright, who owns Wright’s Taxis, confirmed plans were in place to merge with Co-op Taxis, adding it was now on hold due to police investigations.
He said: “I was led to believe other members had the right to transfer the number to us and that we were going to merge with the original members of the Co-op.”
Leven councillor Jim Bollan has attempted to arrange a meeting between the cabbies.
He said: “It is unfortunate but not uncommon that difficulties seem to have arisen in Co-op Taxis. I will do all I can to ensure the co-op continues to deliver a quality service for local people.”
A Police Scotland spokeswoman confirmed a complaint had been received and an inquiry is ongoing.
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Calderdale.
Taxi drivers are making a mockery of a council’s high standards due to a national loophole, a councillor says.
Brighouse Independent Clr Colin Stout has discovered that a number of taxi drivers operating in the town were refused a licence by Calderdale Council as they didn’t meet standards.
But they have been granted a licence by Rossendale Council and are allowed to operate in Calderdale.
Clr Stout said: “This is making a mockery of everything Calderdale has done to improve standards among our taxi drivers, and a mockery of our own drivers who abide by high standards.”
Clr Stout was promoted to investigate after spotting a speeding taxi in the Tesco car park in Brighouse, who told him he was sub-contracted to a local firm.
Clr Stout said: “Rossendale gives licences under different rules to ours, we have a much higher standard.
“We have a NVQ for taxi drivers and we have a local knowledge test and Rossendale don’t.
“We ask all taxis have on a sticker on the door showing which company they belong to but these cars don’t have that.
“We also ban tinted glass.
“I am concerned and have asked for this matter to be listed for discussion urgently.”
He also said cars are subjected to fewer MOT tests than Calderdale requires, and Rossendale Council permits older vehicles to be taxis, while Calderdale has an upper limit of five years.
Clr Stout added: “There’s this loophole in licensing that means if they get refused by one authority they can go to another and try there. I’ve discovered Stockport and Manchester councils have reported the same problems with taxis licensed by Rossendale.
http://tinyurl.com/ostnrpw
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Dundee.
Raymond Mennie, who 20 years ago was convener of Tayside Region's roads and transport committee, says a taxi driver sped off without giving him his £15 in change on Friday night.
Mr Mennie (62) is furious about the episode which he has reported to the police, and fumed: ''I am a pensioner living on pension credit and to say that I was irate at the action of this low-down scumbag ... is putting it mildly.
''The taxi fraternity are always complaining about fare dodgers and 'runners' and I hope that they can furnish information at to the identity of this thief.''
One of the responsibilities of the former Whitfield councillor when he chaired the roads and transport committee was taxis and the operation of ranks in the city centre.
When he stepped into a cab in the Nethergate rank on Friday night, his journey home cost him four times as much as he expected.
The taxi stopped at his house in Ashbank Road and Mr Mennie got out by the back door, walked to the driver's window and handed over £20 expecting to get about £15 in change.
He continued: ''The driver promptly took off at some speed and careered into Scott Street without pausing to check that the junction was clear.
''Most annoyingly, he sounded two toots on his horn, having robbed me of my change. My only recollection of the vehicle was that it was a white or light-coloured car.''
He phoned the police but said he was ''given short shrift'' and told there wasn't much that officers could do. Two officers then visited him and gave him the telephone numbers of four taxi operators.
He phoned them but he said they were of no help, ''despite their use of tracking technology to record journey times and routes and the location of their drivers throughout the day.''
http://tinyurl.com/pfsxy4j
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