Council anger after magistrate allows appeal over refusal of taxi licence

A Merseyside council has deplored a magistrate's decision to grant a taxi licence to a man convicted in 2006 of abducting a 15-year-old girl.

The case reported in the Liverpool Echo concerned former police officer Imran Ali..

Sefton’s taxi licensing panel had refused him a licence, but Mr Ali successfully appealed as magistrate Keith Elford found that he had built a business portfolio, started a family, significantly helped the community during the COVID-19 pandemic and his conviction was anyway many years old.

A Sefton Council spokesperson said: “The local authority considers that the safety of the travelling public is paramount.

“We are bitterly disappointed with the decision the magistrates made. Clearly the local authority took the right decision based on information received and we are considering the next steps.”

Mark Smulian