Alan Henning, Briton held by Isil, is Manchester taxi driver who drove aid van to Syria
'Lovely guy' was delivering clothes and bedding for Aid 4 Syria charity when he was abducted on Boxing Day last year
The Briton threatened with execution next by Islamic State militants in Syria is a Manchester taxi driver who drove a van full of aid to Syria to help children in the war-torn country.
Alan Henning had taken time off from his job to deliver a van full of clothes and bedding he and friends had collected, when he was abducted on Boxing Day last year.
The 47-year-old father of two was part of a small aid group called Aid 4 Syria, friends told The Telegraph, and he was on his third convoy to the country when he was seized by masked men near the Turkish border.
He is seen in the closing seconds of a horrific two-and-a-half minute video released on Saturday night showing the beheading of another British aid worker, David Haines.
Mr Henning appears kneeling in the desert wearing in orange, shapeless clothes, as the executioner stands behind him and threatens David Cameron "will have the blood of your people on your hands" if he joins an American military alliance to fight the militants.
Mr Henning is believed to have been seized when fighters loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) overran the town of Ad Dana where he was working with refugees close to the Turkish border.
He was thrown into a makeshift prison by the extremists, but initially thought his work for a Muslim charity would save him.
A Syrian activist told a Dutch reporter earlier in 2014 that he had spent a night in the same cell and Mr Henning had appeared in good spirits, believing he was about to be freed because of his work in the region.
However the activist, who later escaped, found Mr Henning had instead later been moved to Raqqa, the Syrian city considered the capital of the Isil regime.
Friends of Mr Henning, who lives in Eccles, described him as a "lovely guy" who had been moved to act by the plight of Syrian children caught in the country’s civil war.
A close friend told The Telegraph: "He was taking over old ambulances, just helping out as much as he could.
"There were a few of them that went out with him. They were just a group of mates that started it all off. They were supposed to be over there for about six months but he was kidnapped just a few days after he left."
His wife, Barbara, had been told he was being well treated. The friend said: "He had his own mattress because the militant guys knew he was over there doing good."
"He’d been a taxi driver for years but he started taking all this Syria stuff seriously when the war started. It was the fourth time he’d gone out there. He had a tattoo saying Aid 4 Syria on his arm. I think he thought it was his mission to help the kids out there.
"It used to take him about four days to drive there in a van full of stuff. Then they would pile it all into old ambulances and drive them over the border.
"He’s a really good man and really down to earth. He was just doing his best to help the children. I can’t understand why those people don’t just let him go."
Debbie Ashton, 47, a neighbour, described him as a "lovely guy".
She said: "We used to call him Gadget because he loved all his electronic stuff.
"He was really funny too. When I had a bad ankle, he used to call me Peg Leg.
"He was always asking us if we knew anyone who was throwing their clothes away. He was just trying to help out. He took clothes, bedding, shoes. Everyone used to drop it all off at his house.
"He told me they would go to the border and they would have to take everything out of the van and go in ambulances otherwise they wouldn’t let him in.
"He was really emotional about it all and he used to say those kids need all the help they can get.
"He told me ‘You wouldn’t believe the life they live over there.’ But then he just disappeared around Christmas time.
"I can’t believe they’ve taken him. He was just trying to help, and he does not deserve this."
Activists and aid workers who knew Mr Henning paid tribute to him.
One, who declined to be named, said he was "the best of the best"
Another, wrote on Twitter: "Alan Henning...sacrificed his time to come with us on aid convoys to Syria. I feel sick."
He continued: "He sacrificed his fishing holidays, his Christmas at home his work holidays specifically to come on aid convoys and help the Syrians."
His family released, via the Foreign Office, a picture taken at a refugee camp on the Turkish-Syrian border, of Mr Henning holding a young child.
His brother, Reginald, declined to comment: He said: "We’ve been told by the Home Office to appreciate the family’s privacy."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11095719/Alan-Henning-Briton-held-by-Isil-is-Manchester-taxi-driver-who-drove-aid-van-to-Syria.html
Sunday, 14 September 2014
Friday, 12 September 2014
Teenager raped by Workington taxi driver
An 18-year-old woman has been raped by a taxi driver.
The victim got into a silver Ford Mondeo outside The Well pub on Jane Street, Workington, in the early hours of Friday. She was taken to two lay-bys, Cumbria Police said.
A 36-year-old man from Workington has been arrested on suspicion of rape.
Officers cordoned off lay-bys at Pica and Mockerin Tarn and will also examine a silver Ford Mondeo that has been recovered.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-29181752?
------------------------------------------
LEEDS
An 18-year-old woman has been raped by a taxi driver.
The victim got into a silver Ford Mondeo outside The Well pub on Jane Street, Workington, in the early hours of Friday. She was taken to two lay-bys, Cumbria Police said.
A 36-year-old man from Workington has been arrested on suspicion of rape.
Officers cordoned off lay-bys at Pica and Mockerin Tarn and will also examine a silver Ford Mondeo that has been recovered.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-29181752?
------------------------------------------
LEEDS
New students to Leeds are being warned about the potential dangers of getting into bogus taxis.
A Leeds City Council campaign has been launched to coincide with freshers’ week urging the latest intake of undergraduates to stay safe on nights out.
‘Are you taxi aware?’ reminds people of the importance of using licensed taxis or pre-booked private hire cars.
Coun Mary Harland, chair of the licensing committee, said: “With the influx of students returning to the city wanting to take advantage of the great nightlife here, we want to make sure their time in Leeds is as worry-free as possible.
“We are reminding people to keep their wits about them when choosing how to get home after a night out in Leeds as getting into an unlicensed taxi or private hire vehicle is just like letting a complete stranger take you home – there are none of the normal safeguards that properly licensed drivers must adhere to.”
Posters and leaflets will be handed out during freshers’ week and displayed in pubs and clubs.
The council will also be spreading the word on social media.
“By following a few simple steps you can avoid the potentially devastating result of getting in a car with the wrong person,” Coun Harland added.
------------------------------------------
HECKMONDWIKE
A taxi driver was attacked and robbed of his vehicle after being directed to a street by two passengers.
Now one of the thugs, Matthew Wood, has been jailed for five years and police have renewed an appeal to find the second man.
Both attacked Mohammed Qadeer after the cabbie drove Wood away from Pennine Cars in Regent Street, Heckmondwike late on the evening of August 7.
Mehran Nassiri prosecuting told Leeds Crown Court the driver was directed by Wood to a car park on the High Street where they picked up a second unidentified male.
The pair were then driven to the junction of Kings Drive and Bronte Road in Birstall where Mr Qadeer was attacked.
The second man grabbed Mr Qadeer from behind with his left arm around his throat. He tried to call for assistance on his radio but the second man grabbed his wallet and handed it to Wood.
Both men then began punching Mr Qadeer about the head before Wood pulled him out of the car got in himself and drove off in it.
Mr Nassiri told the court when Wood got into the vehicle he had handed over a £20 note for the fare which earlier that night he had stolen from a woman with dementia after meeting her in Goose Hill, Heckmondwike.
She was under the mistaken belief Wood and another man with him were related to someone living nearby and after speaking together while she was out walking they followed her into her home.
Wood, 31 of no fixed address admitted the theft and robbery and was jailed for a total of five years.
Sentencing him Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said he had a bad record. He had targeted a vulnerable victim in the theft offence before attacking a man providing a public service.
Det Insp Ian Thornes, of Kirklees CID, said: “With his actions Wood showed he had no regard for who he stole from or for the law but he has now been brought to justice and I am pleased that the court recognised the seriousness of his actions by giving him the sentence he got.
Thursday, 11 September 2014
Even Prince Harry thinks a Taxi is a white Prius.
Prince Harry was caught up in a high speed crash when one of his police outriders collided head on with a taxi as the motorcade headed to an official engagement.
The Prince appeared shocked as his bodyguards treated both the unconscious driver – who had to be cut from his vehicle by firemen – and the police rider, who was thrown 30ft down the road after the impact.
Pictures taken in the aftermath of the accident in central London show the wrecked police motorbike embedded in the white Toyota Prius, as the driver lies injured in his seat surrounded by deployed airbags, the Daily Mail reported.
According to one witness, the prince’s Range Rover, which was taking him to an Invictus Games event in north London, took evasive action.
The driver, apparently fearing a potential terrorist attack, steered his vehicle through the damaged vehicles at speed before coming to a stop a several hundred feet up the road.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-harry/11091127/Prince-Harry-shocked-as-motorbike-outrider-smashes-head-on-into-taxi.html
-------------------------------------------
DORSET
Taxi driver rapist jailed for 13 years
A TAXI driver trusted by the county council to take children to school has been jailed for a string of historic sex offences against a young girl.
Adrian Mills, who ran a taxi company in Corfe Castle, was sentenced to serve 13 years behind bars after a jury unanimously found him guilty of three counts of rape against a female under the age of 16, and two of indecent assault against the same victim.
The attacks took place between 1989 and 1992.
Mills, of Halves Cottages, made his victim relive her ordeal during the four-day trial after denying all the charges against him.
But jurors took just hours to convict him on all charges.
The 59-year-old headed up family-owned business Valley Taxis, responsible for taking scores of local children to their schools.
Following the case, the firm said that Mills had not been associated with the firm since October 2013.
Drivers must be CRB checked before beginning to work for the firm.
On the website, Mills had posted testimonials from customers – including a child who thanks him for the “chats and debates” they have shared.
A spokesperson for Dorset County Council said: “The safety of children of children is paramount to us.
“All of our taxi providers must go through rigorous disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks and quality assessments before they are allowed to drive children to and from schools.
“As soon as we were notified in September 2013 by the Police and Safeguarding Children’s Board of the allegations made against Adrian Mills, we withdrew authorisation for him to drive on any county council contracts and he has not worked for us since.”
A former acquaintance of Mills, who doesn’t want to be named, said he fears that there may be other victims still to come forward.
“Because of the nature of his job, it’s so worrying to think there could be other youngsters out there who might have been hurt,” he said.
“He committed these offences so long ago that you wonder what else he could have done to other children in that time.”
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/11468914._/?
Prince Harry was caught up in a high speed crash when one of his police outriders collided head on with a taxi as the motorcade headed to an official engagement.
The Prince appeared shocked as his bodyguards treated both the unconscious driver – who had to be cut from his vehicle by firemen – and the police rider, who was thrown 30ft down the road after the impact.
Pictures taken in the aftermath of the accident in central London show the wrecked police motorbike embedded in the white Toyota Prius, as the driver lies injured in his seat surrounded by deployed airbags, the Daily Mail reported.
According to one witness, the prince’s Range Rover, which was taking him to an Invictus Games event in north London, took evasive action.
The driver, apparently fearing a potential terrorist attack, steered his vehicle through the damaged vehicles at speed before coming to a stop a several hundred feet up the road.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-harry/11091127/Prince-Harry-shocked-as-motorbike-outrider-smashes-head-on-into-taxi.html
-------------------------------------------
DORSET
Taxi driver rapist jailed for 13 years
A TAXI driver trusted by the county council to take children to school has been jailed for a string of historic sex offences against a young girl.
Adrian Mills, who ran a taxi company in Corfe Castle, was sentenced to serve 13 years behind bars after a jury unanimously found him guilty of three counts of rape against a female under the age of 16, and two of indecent assault against the same victim.
The attacks took place between 1989 and 1992.
Mills, of Halves Cottages, made his victim relive her ordeal during the four-day trial after denying all the charges against him.
But jurors took just hours to convict him on all charges.
The 59-year-old headed up family-owned business Valley Taxis, responsible for taking scores of local children to their schools.
Following the case, the firm said that Mills had not been associated with the firm since October 2013.
Drivers must be CRB checked before beginning to work for the firm.
On the website, Mills had posted testimonials from customers – including a child who thanks him for the “chats and debates” they have shared.
A spokesperson for Dorset County Council said: “The safety of children of children is paramount to us.
“All of our taxi providers must go through rigorous disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks and quality assessments before they are allowed to drive children to and from schools.
“As soon as we were notified in September 2013 by the Police and Safeguarding Children’s Board of the allegations made against Adrian Mills, we withdrew authorisation for him to drive on any county council contracts and he has not worked for us since.”
A former acquaintance of Mills, who doesn’t want to be named, said he fears that there may be other victims still to come forward.
“Because of the nature of his job, it’s so worrying to think there could be other youngsters out there who might have been hurt,” he said.
“He committed these offences so long ago that you wonder what else he could have done to other children in that time.”
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/11468914._/?
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
LEEDS
SHOULD owners of taxi licences be forced to learn English, even if they will never drive the vehicle and will only rent it out for others to drive?
That question has been raised in relation to a Leeds City Council taxi policy which requires individual owners of hackney carriage licences to have a level of English.
Unions and hackney carriage companies have objected, believing this could discriminate over wives and family members who inherit licences if an owner passes away, as the weekly rent could be their only means of income.
A meeting of the council’s licencing committee heard the core issue was “responsibilty and accountability”. However it was also argued that if the person isn’t actually driving, there is no issue of public safety.
It has now been proposed that the English language requirement for widows and people inheriting licences is relaxed, with a longer lead-in time to allow them to learn English if they don’t speak it, or to appoint a representative. However it was also been suggested the English comprehension requirement be removed entirely in respect of hackney carriage proprietors.
Labour councillor Brian Selby said he would like to keep the current English requirement in place.
He said: “It has wider implications if we start changing our policy. We do need taxi firms that are well run, and that means having a command of English.”
Tory colleague Gerald Wilkinson added: “I feel certain that the English test is not like a university degree. If they sign it over, people will have time to learn English.”
The meeting was told that “we should be trying to ensure people aspire to [speak] English, not be told not to bother”.
However it was pointed out more than 50 per cent of the proprietors and drivers of Leeds’s 500-plus taxi licences are of Asian origin, and a growing number are from European countries.
Councillor Asghar Khan said it was important to differentiate between the driver and the licence owner. He said: “If it’s drivers, then yes, because they are a front line person.”
He said it could be ensured licence owners bear all costs of translating documents relating to the business. The proposals will be debated again at a future meeting before eventually being put before the council’s cabinet.
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/row-over-english-language-proviso-for-leeds-taxi-operators-1-6833387
-------------------------------------------------------------
Uber alles-holes, claims lawsuit: Taxi biz sued by blind passengers
No business is safe from cyber-espionage
Taxi hire biz Uber is being sued in northern California for allegedly violating the civil rights of blind people.
A complaint filed by the National Federation of the Blind alleges that blind passengers who ordered Uber X taxi rides in the US state were illegally discriminated against or mistreated by the firm's drivers.
According to the suit, filed in a US district court, three members of the federation were denied service by cabbies who did not want to transport their guide dogs. Drivers refused to allow the blind passengers in the car even after confirming rides with the service, they claim. Multiple such incidents are alleged.
The issues have also been reported by passengers in other states.
"UberX drivers across the United States are likewise refusing to transport blind individuals, including identified UberX drivers who repeatedly denied rides to one blind woman on twelve separate occasions, charged blind riders cancellation fees, and abandoned blind travelers in extreme weather, all because of guide dogs," the filing [PDF] claims.
Most disturbingly, the suit alleges that the drivers also mistreat the service animals of blind passengers. The report claims one passenger had her dog forced into the trunk of a car, and the driver refused to pull over when the passenger objected. Another claims that a guide dog was nearly run over and a passenger struck with an open car door when a driver sped off after refusing a ride.
According to the Federation, by refusing to transport passengers with service animals, Uber X drivers are violating provisions in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
"Uber is violating basic equal access requirements under both the ADA and state law by failing to implement policies and procedures that would prevent or reduce discrimination against blind riders committed by UberX drivers," the suit claims.
"Because Uber closely monitors and tightly controls interactions between UberX drivers and its customers, Uber can adopt and enforce policies and procedures that would prevent or reduce discrimination against blind individuals with service animals, including members of Plaintiff NFB of California."
Uber did not return a request for comment on the suit.
Such allegations won't win Uber any favor in its ongoing battle with governments to operate alongside conventional taxi services. The app maker is already facing a ban in Germany and a legal challenge in London over the legality of its service.
The last thing the company would appear to need right now is for its drivers to be portrayed as discriminatory and abusive to service animals. ®
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/09/11/uberx_uber_jerks_drivers_accused_of_mistreating_blind_customers/?
--------------------------------------------------------------
MIDDLESBORO
A taxi minibus was burnt out in a suspected arson attack.
The minibus, which was used for advertising by Middlesbrough taxi firm Blueline Taxis, was torched while parked at a car park on Ormesby Road, Middlesbrough.
Fire crews from Cleveland Fire Brigade tackled the blaze a 12.20am today.
A spokeswoman for the fire brigade confirmed that they are treating the blaze as arson.
Adrees Banka, Blueline Taxis general manager, said: “We used the bus for promotional purposes, it had just been done up with the adverts on it and everything.
“Then this happened. It looks like a window has been smashed and something thrown in, the fire brigade came and put it out but it’s a complete write-off.
“The minibus is probably worth about £3,000.
“It’s heartbreaking. At the end of the day we just want to make a living by providing a service.”
Cleveland Police said that they had tried to contact the registered owner of the vehicle but had been unable to make contact.
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/taxi-boss-heartbroken-after-minibus-7750851?
SHOULD owners of taxi licences be forced to learn English, even if they will never drive the vehicle and will only rent it out for others to drive?
That question has been raised in relation to a Leeds City Council taxi policy which requires individual owners of hackney carriage licences to have a level of English.
Unions and hackney carriage companies have objected, believing this could discriminate over wives and family members who inherit licences if an owner passes away, as the weekly rent could be their only means of income.
A meeting of the council’s licencing committee heard the core issue was “responsibilty and accountability”. However it was also argued that if the person isn’t actually driving, there is no issue of public safety.
It has now been proposed that the English language requirement for widows and people inheriting licences is relaxed, with a longer lead-in time to allow them to learn English if they don’t speak it, or to appoint a representative. However it was also been suggested the English comprehension requirement be removed entirely in respect of hackney carriage proprietors.
Labour councillor Brian Selby said he would like to keep the current English requirement in place.
He said: “It has wider implications if we start changing our policy. We do need taxi firms that are well run, and that means having a command of English.”
Tory colleague Gerald Wilkinson added: “I feel certain that the English test is not like a university degree. If they sign it over, people will have time to learn English.”
The meeting was told that “we should be trying to ensure people aspire to [speak] English, not be told not to bother”.
However it was pointed out more than 50 per cent of the proprietors and drivers of Leeds’s 500-plus taxi licences are of Asian origin, and a growing number are from European countries.
Councillor Asghar Khan said it was important to differentiate between the driver and the licence owner. He said: “If it’s drivers, then yes, because they are a front line person.”
He said it could be ensured licence owners bear all costs of translating documents relating to the business. The proposals will be debated again at a future meeting before eventually being put before the council’s cabinet.
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/row-over-english-language-proviso-for-leeds-taxi-operators-1-6833387
-------------------------------------------------------------
Uber alles-holes, claims lawsuit: Taxi biz sued by blind passengers
No business is safe from cyber-espionage
Taxi hire biz Uber is being sued in northern California for allegedly violating the civil rights of blind people.
A complaint filed by the National Federation of the Blind alleges that blind passengers who ordered Uber X taxi rides in the US state were illegally discriminated against or mistreated by the firm's drivers.
According to the suit, filed in a US district court, three members of the federation were denied service by cabbies who did not want to transport their guide dogs. Drivers refused to allow the blind passengers in the car even after confirming rides with the service, they claim. Multiple such incidents are alleged.
The issues have also been reported by passengers in other states.
"UberX drivers across the United States are likewise refusing to transport blind individuals, including identified UberX drivers who repeatedly denied rides to one blind woman on twelve separate occasions, charged blind riders cancellation fees, and abandoned blind travelers in extreme weather, all because of guide dogs," the filing [PDF] claims.
Most disturbingly, the suit alleges that the drivers also mistreat the service animals of blind passengers. The report claims one passenger had her dog forced into the trunk of a car, and the driver refused to pull over when the passenger objected. Another claims that a guide dog was nearly run over and a passenger struck with an open car door when a driver sped off after refusing a ride.
According to the Federation, by refusing to transport passengers with service animals, Uber X drivers are violating provisions in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
"Uber is violating basic equal access requirements under both the ADA and state law by failing to implement policies and procedures that would prevent or reduce discrimination against blind riders committed by UberX drivers," the suit claims.
"Because Uber closely monitors and tightly controls interactions between UberX drivers and its customers, Uber can adopt and enforce policies and procedures that would prevent or reduce discrimination against blind individuals with service animals, including members of Plaintiff NFB of California."
Uber did not return a request for comment on the suit.
Such allegations won't win Uber any favor in its ongoing battle with governments to operate alongside conventional taxi services. The app maker is already facing a ban in Germany and a legal challenge in London over the legality of its service.
The last thing the company would appear to need right now is for its drivers to be portrayed as discriminatory and abusive to service animals. ®
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/09/11/uberx_uber_jerks_drivers_accused_of_mistreating_blind_customers/?
--------------------------------------------------------------
MIDDLESBORO
A taxi minibus was burnt out in a suspected arson attack.
The minibus, which was used for advertising by Middlesbrough taxi firm Blueline Taxis, was torched while parked at a car park on Ormesby Road, Middlesbrough.
Fire crews from Cleveland Fire Brigade tackled the blaze a 12.20am today.
A spokeswoman for the fire brigade confirmed that they are treating the blaze as arson.
Adrees Banka, Blueline Taxis general manager, said: “We used the bus for promotional purposes, it had just been done up with the adverts on it and everything.
“Then this happened. It looks like a window has been smashed and something thrown in, the fire brigade came and put it out but it’s a complete write-off.
“The minibus is probably worth about £3,000.
“It’s heartbreaking. At the end of the day we just want to make a living by providing a service.”
Cleveland Police said that they had tried to contact the registered owner of the vehicle but had been unable to make contact.
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/taxi-boss-heartbroken-after-minibus-7750851?
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