Issue - meetings

Mr Paul Bacon - HCD735

The Licensing Officer introduced the report regarding a renewal of Mr Paul Bacon’s Hackney Carriage driver’s licence HCD 735. He informed Members that Mr Bacon’s certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) had shown a caution which Mr Bacon had failed to disclose on his renewal application form as required by Council policy. He drew Members’ attention to paragraph 4.6 of the report which notes:

 ‘Members are to note however that in order for the police to issue a formal caution, the offender has to admit an offence and agree to be cautioned. A caution cannot be issued if the offender does not comply with the two conditions above’.

In light of this the Committee were asked to consider whether to:

·           Grant Mr Bacon’s application to renew a Hackney Carriage driver’s licence with no further action taken because the Committee considers him to be a fit and proper person, or

·           Refuse to renew Mr Bacon’s Hackney Carriage driver’s licence because the Committee considers him to no longer be a fit and proper person.

On a point of clarification the legal officer informed Members that a caution is the disposal of an offence in an administrative way following an admission. The alternative option would be to go to court.

Mr Bacon was invited to give his account of events. He informed Members that:

·                The incident was a genuine mistake and he thought his wife had paid for the shopping.

·                He had shamefully gone along with something he had never done before.

·                He felt it was unfair that had he been shoplifting then he would have been let go, it was only for the fact that he had admitted to the mistake that the police had been called and he had been cautioned.

·                He explained that his wife’s father had died 2 days previous to the incident and it was because of this state of grief that she did not pay.

·                It was his wife who had written the letter on his behalf explaining the incident.

·                Mr Bacon had taken the blame for the incident but the police believed it was his wife’s wrong doing.

·                He claimed that Tesco had accused him of stealing on several occasions yet he had never been convicted of anything and had never been in trouble with the police before. 

·                He informed the Committee that he had been a taxi driver for 18 years.

·                He wasn’t even aware that he had even been cautioned as it was his wife who had to attend a criminal conviction course in Birmingham. This was therefore why he had not disclosed it on his renewal form, it wasn’t a case of trying to de-fraud the system, just a genuine mistake which he felt embarrassed about.

·                He informed Members that he had character references if they wished to view them.

·                He Bacon proceeded to tell Members of a story whereby he helped a drunken lone female to get home and did not charge her when she was sick in his  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5