03/19/2024

Wales News Online

Local & National News for Wales

Taxi driver didn’t ‘come clean’ about speeding convictions

A TAXI driver from Carmarthenshire apologised to a council licensing committee for not coming clean about three speeding convictions.

Matthew Pegram, of Plas Isaf, Llangennech, said he was not aware he had to notify the licensing authority of the incidents, which occurred over a 15-day period in 2018.

Speaking at the committee meeting on October 23 Mr Pegram said: “I apologise. I should be more aware.

“I stupidly assumed that if I had a licence I was okay to carry on. I have learned my lesson.”

The convictions earned him three penalty points each. Two of them, said Mr Pegram, occurred when he was en route to pick up passengers on airport runs; the other while driving his own car.

The committee renewed his hackney carriage and private hire dual drivers’ licence with a warning as to his future conduct.

Councillors ran the rule on three other individuals, including Aaron Coelho, who had submitted a hackney carriage and private hire application.

Senior licensing officer Justin Power said Mr Coelho, of Burry Port, had a 2015 criminal conviction for affray.

The committee heard details of the affray, which took place in Ammanford, and asked Mr Coelho how he would deal with passengers who were drunk and uncooperative.

Mr Coelho, of Heol Gwendraeth, said he would stay calm or phone the police.

After deliberating the committee granted his application but told him to keep clear of trouble.

“Be mindful that any misbehavior could result in your licence being revoked,” said the council’s solicitor Robert Edgecombe.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Jones, of Duncan Street, Laugharne, had his hackney carriage and private hire drivers’ licence renewed with a warning as to his future conduct.

Mr Jones had failed to disclose a driving while uninsured conviction, which he described as “a bit of a mix-up”, from August 2018.

In its other ruling, the committee said it had no reasonable cause to suspend Keith Rees’ hackney carriage licence for 14 days following three non-mechanical breaches but issued a warning as to future conduct.

Mr Rees, of Zion Row, Llanelli, protested the breaches at the meeting.

Mr Edgecombe said Mr Rees had a duty to ensure such breaches did not happen but said the committee was concerned about some issues in relation to the test which identified them.

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