A Torbay taxi driver has lost her licence after admitting to assaulting a police officer following a day of heavy drinking.
The driver, who was not named in the council’s public report, appeared before Torbay Council’s licensing committee, which ruled she was no longer a “fit and proper person” to hold a taxi licence.
The committee heard that the driver failed to inform the council of her arrest and subsequent charges within the required 48-hour period — a breach of licensing conditions. It was also revealed she had a history of previous convictions, some of which were linked to alcohol-related offences.
According to the council’s report, the committee found that the driver’s convictions “demonstrated a pattern of behaviour that extended beyond isolated incidents and reflected a lack of personal responsibility and poor judgement.”
The panel noted that the driver admitted to “drinking all day before assaulting the emergency worker,” and expressed concern over her explanation that she pleaded guilty “just to get things over with.”
While councillors acknowledged that the driver gave “generally good answers” when discussing her work as a taxi driver, they concluded that there was a “significant failure” in her understanding of the responsibilities that come with holding a licence.
In their final decision, the committee stated:
“Members considered that the respondent’s convictions and conduct fell far below the standard expected of a licensed driver.”
Councillors unanimously agreed to revoke the licence, adding that they “would not allow their son or daughter, spouse or partner, mother or father, grandson or granddaughter – or any other vulnerable person known to them – to get into a vehicle alone with the driver.”
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