Taxi licence granted to human trafficker Call for national register to prevent repeat

ATAXI driver worked in Birmingham, despite the fact he was jailed for human trafficking three years ago.

He is one of several cabbies who have been barred for criminal activities, Birmingham City Council revealed this week.

The man, whose identity has not been disclosed, was convicted in November 2015 in Belgium but the offence was only revealed to the city council following a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check in February this year.

The authority stripped his licence within 24 hours.

He is one of a number of taxi drivers to have been barred by the city council in recent months including another man who showed images of people burning alive to children with special needs.

Head of licensing Emma Rohomon said the trafficker obtained his city licence prior to his conviction.

She called for a national register of taxi and private hire drivers which could be searched before licences were granted or renewed.

Ms Rohomon said: “We need a national register that could be searched by police, which would mean we could obtain information on drivers much more easily.

“As it stands with this driver his criminal record check was done before his conviction.

“He came in, which he is required to do every three years, and the last check showed his conviction.

“We can never catch everybody immediately but this should reas- sure the public that the minute we find out something we will take action straight away.”

A report, put before the council’s licensing and public protection committee on Wednesday, stated the driver was one of four to have their licence revoked by the council during February and March. The others were a male private hire driver arrested by police on suspicion of sexual abuse, a hackney carriage driver charged with assault by beating and a private hire driver accused of subjecting a member of the public to sexual assault.

Also in March, Birmingham Crown Court dismissed the appeal of a private hire driver who was banned by the council last year after showing vulnerable children images on his mobile phone of people being burnt. The images were described as ‘grossly offensive’ and the court heard the man, who can’t be named for legal reasons, was ‘taking advantage of his employment to abuse his passengers’.