A TAXI driver from Warwick has unsuccessfully appealed having his private hire licence revoked.
Parvez Ahmed of Othello Road in Warwick had his Hackney Carriage Private Hire driver’s licence removed by Warwick District Council in January.
It followed a complaint from a passenger that they felt unsafe during a journey after a dispute with Mr Ahmed about the fare.
The council had previously received complaints about the driver’s conduct and the decision was then taken by councillors to remove his licence.
Earlier this year Mr Ahmed appealed the panel’s decision but magistrates at Warwickshire Justice Centre in Nuneaton dismissed this and ordered him to pay costs of £800.
Mr Ahmed then appealed the magistrate’s decision and on August 4 lost his appeal for the second time, this time in Crown Court.
The judge said he believed Mr Ahmed was an ‘unsatisfactory witness with fluctuations in his account of the events’.
He was ordered by the court to pay Warwick District Council costs totalling £2500.
District Council’s spokesman for community protection, Coun Andrew Thompson said: “Warwick District Council’s principal concern is the safety of passengers.
“Taxi drivers and operators are in a position of responsibility and trust, when deciding whether someone is fit and proper it is only right that members consider all the information supplied that might impair their suitability.
“We were always confident that the original decision we made was correct so I am very pleased that a judge has also agreed it was right to revoke his licence.
“We will continue to take our duty to protect the public very seriously.”
