Stockton taxi driver’s licence refusal after police GBH allegation

The unnamed motorist had been licensed with the council for 16 years, from August 2008 until his licence was revoked in August 2024, say minutes of a Stockton Council licensing committee meeting.

Cleveland Police disclosed he had been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and affray, councillors were told.

Members of the committee heard the police decided to take no further action. The incident was closed “where the victim supports prosecution but the police decide not to proceed due to evidential limitations”.

Simon Walker, representing the driver, said he “was trying to peacefully break up an incident, however was attacked and then acted in self-defence”, according to the minutes.

He also said “the incident was without precedent, nothing previous and nothing subsequently”.

He described the cabbie as a man of good character with a clean driving licence, saying he “had transported tens of thousands of passengers during his 17 years’ experience as a taxi driver within Stockton borough.

“He was honest, sober, courteous, mentally and physically fit, he had worked hard, paid his taxes and had never been charged with any criminal offence, all of which should confirm to the committee that he was a fit and proper person to hold a private hire driver’s licence.”

The committee saw CCTV footage in which the driver “was seen carrying and swinging” at someone else with a chain. Mr Walker disputed this, saying there was no clear evidence the driver hit anyone with the plastic chain and it was clear he had been hit so was defending himself

The licensing committee found it was clear from the CCTV the motorist “had exited his vehicle and moved towards the ongoing disorder”.

They found “no evidence of peacekeeping”, and it was clear “this was not the case” as he “moved towards the violence and took an active part, arming himself with a chain”.

They found his behaviour with the chain “very concerning”, saying he was “clearly visible on the CCTV footage, intentionally swinging the chain towards a younger male”.

They said there was no evidence he was trying to defuse the situation or remove himself, he was “disingenuous during interview” claiming to have no memory of swinging the chain and “did not appear to have any insight into his behaviour”.

The committee also heard of two previous complaints against the driver in 2020 and 2022. Mr Walker said the 2020 complaint was not substantiated and the driver disputed it, but he received a warning letter.

The committee were “not satisfied that they would allow people for whom they care to enter a vehicle” with the driver and found he was not a fit and proper person to hold a private hire licence due to their concerns. They decided unanimously to refuse his application.

In two other separate cases, hackney carriage and private hire drivers were given written warnings because of undeclared convictions. One was convicted of using a vehicle without insurance, leading to him receiving six points on his licence.

The driver in this case said he was stopped by police while moving his private car two roads down after failing its MoT to let a tow truck get through. He said he did not tell the licensing team as he did not realise the vehicle would be related to his taxi.

In the second case, a driver was convicted for applying for bankruptcy and failing to declare a gift of equity in the house he sold to his brother. He said he did not realise he had done anything wrong, did not know he had gifted anything as he owed money to his brother, and contacted licensing as soon as he received a letter from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

In both cases, the licensing committee decided it was not appropriate to take any action as they believed each driver had made a mistake.