Unlicenced taxi driver’s offences discovered during Bodicote stop

Police noted problems with the vehicle’s Hackney licence plate and private hire advertising during a stop

An unlicenced taxi driver has received a custodial sentence for road traffic and fraud offences after he was stopped in Bodicote last year.   

Aamer Aziz was initially pulled over by Thames Valley Police for road tax offences.   Further offences relating to the vehicle’s Hackney licence plate and private hire advertising were noted and sent by the police to Cherwell District Council’s Licensing department.

The investigation that followed found that Mr Aziz had made a false rear Bromsgrove taxi licence plate and had falsely represented himself and his taxi as being correctly licensed.

At a hearing at Oxford Crown Court last Friday (February 3), Wolverhampton based Aziz was sentenced to four months imprisonment suspended for two years, 100 hours unpaid work, six months driving ban, 36 days rehabilitation activities, and £500 costs.

At Oxford Magistrates Court in December 2022 Aziz had pleased guilty to using a motor vehicle without third party insurance, driving as a Private Hire driver without a licence and fraud by false representation after being investigated by Cherwell District Council.

Councillor Eddie Reeves, Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities, said: “Taxi drivers form an important part of the community, allowing many residents to stay connected to friends, family, local businesses and vital services. Local people and visitors rightly expect for these services to be safe and correctly licensed and thanks to the due diligence of local companies, drivers and the council they are.

“This case highlights that in the rare instances that drivers or companies do not comply to regulations and standards we will ensure that they are prosecuted in accordance with the law.”

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Published: 06/02/2023 02:38pm by Banbury FM Newsteam

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