Bogus taxi driver found guilty of illegally plying for trade

Eastleigh Borough Council has successfully prosecuted a bogus taxi driver who picked up two undercover licensing enforcement officers outside a club.

The local authority said the case was rare and raised “serious public safety issues”.

The car used by the unlicensed driver, Dennis Hewlett of Southampton, was decorated to resemble a legitimate, licensed minicab with dark blue and white chequered stripes on the bodywork and No Smoking signs in the windows, the council said.

The defendant and his vehicle were both unlicensed to provide either private hire or taxi services.

Hewlett failed to appear at Southampton Magistrates Court last week and was found guilty of illegally plying for hire in his absence with sentencing adjourned to enable further enquiries to be made.

Eastleigh has also prosecuted a licensed private hire driver who was caught illegally plying for trade. 

Shaun Scott was hit with fines and costs in excess of £2,000 (£220 fine for plying, a £660 fine for driving without valid insurance, £66 victim surcharge and £1,207 in prosecution costs) for agreeing to drive two undercover licensing officers from near the taxi rank at Eastleigh rail station to Botley last November.

Scott, who was sentenced in his absence, also had eight penalty points added to his driving licence as his insurance was invalidated by ferrying passengers without a booking.  

Eastleigh’s taxi and private hire vehicle licensing is enforced under an agency agreement by Southampton City Council, but the prosecution was led by Eastleigh Borough Council’s prosecuting lawyer, Dave Foster.

Under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 it is illegal for a private hire vehicle to ply for trade on the street in the same way as a licensed hackney carriage (or taxi).

An Eastleigh Borough Council spokesperson said: “Unlicensed drivers are not DBS (formerly CRB) checked and have not passed the Fit and Proper Person Test that indicates their suitability for the role, and getting a lift in an unlicensed vehicle , or a private hire vehicle that has been plying for trade, means that passengers are not insured in the event of an accident.”