Burnley

Taxi driver waved sex toy at undercover police woman - Pendle Today

A taxi driver who produced a sex toy and waved it towards an undercover police officer posing as a passenger has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Jamil Iqbal (41), of Humphrey Street, Brierfield, was jailed for 16 months, suspended for two years, after admitting attempted sexual assault at Burnley Crown Court.

The father-of-six, who has since surrendered his taxi licence and is now working as a part-time takeaway delivery driver, was also made the subject of a two-year supervision order and a 10-year sexual offences prevention order.

Mr Mark Stuart (prosecuting) said police had deployed undercover officers in relation to information received and one of these, named only as Nicky, called Victor’s Taxis in Brierfield from the Oaks Hotel in the early hours of December 7th last year.

Iqbal arrived in a car bearing the logo of another firm. but told Nicky he was from Victor’s.

He began asking her deeply personal questions and the pair exchanged mobile telephone numbers.

Nine days later, Nicky called Iqbal again from a restaurant in Cliviger and asked for a “two drop” taxi for herself and a colleague, Sarah.

Iqbal turned up, this time in an unmarked taxi, and picked the officers up, dropping Nicky off in Brierfield and then setting off towards Barrowford with Sarah.

He again asked the officer the same personal questions, unsuccessfully tried to get her into the front seat with him and then produced a sex toy which he waved towards her.

After he dropped her off, officers in support stopped Iqbal and arrested him. In interview, he suggested that it was as much the women who had instigated talk about sex, but declined to comment further when told they were undercover officers.

Mr Aftab Anwar (defending) said Iqbal had pleaded guilty to the offence at the first opportunity and asked the court to give him credit for that.

“The pre-sentence report clearly demonstrates he is deeply remorseful and knows he has done wrong.

“He had been a taxi driver for 12 years and has worked in factories where there were women workers and nothing like this has happened before,” he said.

“He has already been punished by losing his job and I would ask that any prison sentence is suspended.”

Judge Beverley Lunt, in passing sentence, said: “Women in particular trust taxi drivers and are entitled to feel safe when they get in a taxi.

“These undercover officers may have saved some innocent victim from being subject to a serious sexual assault or an extremely unpleasant incident.

“There is no explanation offered as to why you acted in the way you did and while the offence is serious, I can suspend an immediate custodial sentence,”

Iqbal was also banned from holding any kind of public service vehicle licence in the future.
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UBER GERMANY.

Hengeler Mueller has won a victory for ‘sharing economy’ taxi service Uber in a battle over whether the company can continue offering its product in the city of Hamburg.

The German firm is advising Uber across the country as the company seeks to roll out its smartphone app into all major cities. The app enables private individuals to offer transport in their own car and potential users to reserve rides.

Earlier this month the Hamburg authorities issued a cease-and-desist order against Uber and its app ’UberPOP’ which was temporarily suspended pending a hearing in the city’s administrative court.

Yesterday (27 August) the court ruled that Uber could continue providing its services, deciding that the Hamburg traffic authorities were not the responsible authority and that the prohibition order could not be based on the Passenger Transportation Act.

A ruling by the administrative court in Berlin is expected soon over the use of both UberPOP and UberBlack, a similar app for limousines.


http://www.thelawyer.com/news/practice-areas/litigation-news/hengeler-wins-reprieve-for-uber-in-german-battle-over-taxi-app/3025012.article?
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NEW YORK

Shocking footage shows taxi driver throw child aged 3 from car after 'sexually assaulting toddler's mum'

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/shocking-footage-shows-taxi-driver-4122936?
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SOUTH SHIELDS

A TAXI driver yesterday began an appeal to get his operator’s licence back after he left a four-year-old girl disabled in a car crash.

Amir Azad caused a five-car pile-up when he smashed into the back of a Volkswagen Polo, which was stopped at traffic lights on the A194 Leam Lane, near the Lindisfarne Roundabout, in Jarrow, in March.

The car was owned by Lisa Orrock and Chris Bootes, whose daughter, Jessica Bootes, was left with the left side of her skull missing, paralysis down the right side of her body and a loss of speech after the crash, as her face had smashed into the front passenger seat.

She was taken to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, and spent 11 days in an induced coma.

Azad, of Taylor Street, South Shields, was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving after the crash, but was eventually charged with driving without due care and attention.

The 35-year-old admitted the charge at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court and was given a £250 fine and six penalty points on his licence.

In June, South Tyneside Council revoked Azad’s taxi licence.

Yesterday, he arrived at and left court, hiding his face behind an umbrella, as he began his appeal against the decision.

Geoffrey Forrester, for Azad, asked that the council’s solicitor, Debbie Lloyd, provide “details of all action taken against all existing taxi drivers for careless driving convictions within the last three years”.

Mr Forrester asked for the information to be provided to him within seven days.

A date was then set for the hearing, which will go ahead at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on October 14.

The family, from Centenary Avenue, Harton, South Shields, had been going to McDonald’s restaurant when the collision happened at about 6.30pm on March 4.

At Azad’s criminal court case in June, it was said that others caught up in the crash offered assistance to Jessica, but the court heard that, when approached by Jessica’s parents, Azad told them “calm down, accidents happen” before asking if they had insurance.

In a victim statement read out in court, Mr Bootes said: “What happened will stay with me forever. It has hit me so hard. It eats away at me. I try to get my head around what happened.

“Should we have gone a different route or left sooner?

“We are the victims – we had not done anything wrong.

“The lack of remorse from the driver stays with me. I will never forgive this man.

“Jessica has to start her life all over again while he goes on living his.”

Ms Orrock’s victim statement continued: “Standing there, and not being able to help Jessica was horrific and will stay with me forever.

“How a split second can change a family’s lives – it baffles me. Our lives changed but not half as much as it has for our little girl. How do you explain that to her?”

Mr Forrester, defending, said Azad has been driving for 17 years and was remorseful.

http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/crime/taxi-driver-who-left-girl-fighting-for-her-life-begins-battle-to-get-licence-back-1-6809576