Banned from school run – for kissing his own daughters at gate
a TAXI driver was banned from taking children to school because he was seen kissing his daughters outside the gates. Tony Kemp was embracing his girls, aged nine and 11, after they spotted him dropping passengers off at their school.
He believes a public-spirited onlooker misinterpreted what was happening, leaving him to endure a ‘living nightmare’. The first Mr Kemp knew of the incident was when he was contacted later that day by north yorkshire county council, which told him he could no longer do school runs.
The 60-year-old was puzzled until he heard from a colleague that a complaint had been made about a driver kissing two young girls. His suspension lasted six days, until he was able to prove his innocence. But Mr Kemp says his reputation had been severely damaged and he lost hundreds of pounds in earnings in that time.
‘The past six days have been the worst of my life since my father died 35 years ago,’ he said. ‘i’m personally devastated at the allegation aimed at me.
‘i’ve also lost hundreds of pounds worth of business but even worse than that is my good reputation – which i have built up over the past 12 years – has been shattered and i’m worried about reprisals from people who think i go round kissing schoolchildren.’
Mr Kemp said his ordeal began a week ago when he stopped at Pickering Junior school in north yorkshire.
shortly afterwards, the private hire driver for crystal cars, a firm based near the school, was contacted by the local authority and told that a suspension was being imposed with immediate effect. He was told an allegation had been made against him but, frustratingly, was given no further details.
The following day a source in the taxi trade warned him that it was known in the area that a driver had been suspended after someone reported him kissing and cuddling two girls outside the school.
‘ That’s when the penny dropped,’ said Mr Kemp. ‘i take children to the school from villages up on the Moors but it wasn’t them i was hugging and kissing, it was my own daughters who are aged nine and 11 and are taken to the school each day by their mother from their home in Malton.
‘ we have unfortunately separated and i live in Kirkbymoorside but they always look out for me and run up for a hug
‘I’m worried about reprisals’
and a kiss when they see me arrive with my car, and my daughter also gets in the vehicle to get some of my Tic Tacs from a door pocket.’
The council reinstated him on Tuesday, but only after he sat through a formal interview.
Mr Kemp says the matter could have been cleared up immediately if someone had told him what the allegation was. a council spokesman said: ‘we have followed the child protection procedures. This matter has now been investigated and found to be false.’
north yorkshire Police said they had not been involved. a spokesman said: ‘ The local authority dealt with it.’