AS REQUESTED BY IAN SHANKS: AN APOLOGY
Apologies Ian but I genuinely thought the Captain of any ship would take responsibility for the behaviour of his crewmembers, I was wrong!
This does seem to illustrate what a lot of people on this site have talked about in the past,with ref. to your practice of taking on all and sundry as Taxi drivers. I do see a connection between this incident and the Berwick issue. I don’t know whether this driver was a Berwick driver but this incident does perfectly illustrate the need for proper Licensing of Drivers by the Local authority. TooManyTaxis would like to assure the Public that the vast majority of Taxi/Private Hire drivers on Tyneside are well behaved,conscientious and sober when they go to work.
Source: Evening Chronicle
A TAXI driver who went on a suspected boozed-up drive claimed he had only eaten chocolate liqueurs when police found him slumped at the wheel.
Out of control Dariusz Lech was spotted breaking the speed limit, driving without headlights on, breaking heavily, and swerving down Newbridge Street, Newcastle.
Cars travelling in the opposite direction tried to avoid the Blueline cabbie and flashed their lights in a bid to alert other road users, Newcastle Magistrates’ Court heard.
Robert Cain, who works for the same taxi company, first clocked Lech driving his silver Ford Mondeo Estate cab when he noticed he was travelling with no lights on.
Flashes from other vehicles prompted the 37-year-old to turn them on but he continued to drive at speed along the 30mph stretch of road until he slammed on his breaks at some red lights. Swerving across the road as he drove up towards Shields Road, Byker, Lech then pulled in at Snax 24-hour petrol station and Mr Cain reported the incident to the police.
When police arrived at the garage, they found Lech slumped in the front seat, smelling of alcohol and slurring. He was arrested and taken to Etal Lane Police Station but refused to do a breath test.
Lech, of Banbury Road, Fawdon, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen for analysis, although he claimed he had only been eating alcoholic chocolates and hadn’t been drinking.
Edith Sanderson, prosecuting, said: “At around 10.05pm, on September 18, 2009, Robert Cain, who works for the taxi firm Blueline, was driving down Newbridge Street when his attention was drawn go a silver, Ford Mondeo Estate taxi.
“It was travelling in the same direction but appeared to have no headlights on. Vehicles travelling in the opposite direction were flashing their lights to alert the driver and he then turned them on. The vehicle continued to travel at speed until it came to the junction with Crawhall Road. A red light was displayed and it braked heavily. When the green light showed, it moved away quickly.
“The taxi was swerving from left to right and other vehicles were flashing their lights to warn of its presence.”
In a letter, read out in court by a probation officer, Lech claimed he hadn’t been drinking but had taken strong painkillers and then eaten some chocolate liqueurs.
He wrote: “I can’t defend myself. I shouldn’t have done it.
“I hadn’t drank any liquor. I’d taken some painkillers. In my car, I then ate some of my birthday chocolate liqueurs. I started to feel unfit to drive and drunk, so I pulled over.”
Chairing magistrate Peter Arnold banned Lech from driving for 12 months and sentenced him to a 12-month community order with 40 hours’ unpaid work.
A spokesperson for Blueline Taxis confirmed he had been dismissed.
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
I am sure Mr Lech was the bloke from the “Milk Tray” Ad!, you know the Ad where the bloke climbs through the Lasses Window and leaves her a Box of Milk Tray from the 70′ and 80′s TV Ad.
@Stephen Arthur, No it’s not him that bloke works for LA taxis, and he’s allergic to chocolate.
What a load of bollox, the bloke was hammered, he refused breath and blood test, why would you do that if he’d only been eaten chocolates! They missed the bit out about him nearly hitting a car head on!
AS REQUESTED BY IAN SHANKS:AN APOLOGY
Apologies Ian but I genuinely thought the Captain of any ship would take responsibility for the behaviour of his crewmembers, I was wrong!
This does seem to illustrate what a lot of people on this site have talked about in the past,with ref. to your practice of taking on all and sundry as Taxi drivers. I do see a connection between this incident and the Berwick issue. I don’t know whether this driver was a Berwick driver but this incident does perfectly illustrate the need for proper Licensing of Drivers by the Local authority. TooManyTaxis would like to assure the Public that the vast majority of Taxi/Private Hire drivers on Tyneside are well behaved,conscientious and sober when they go to work.
I agree with you Admin, a Captain should take responsibility for his crew members, but in this case I bet the Driver was a “Stowaway”, from Eastern Europe!!! OR Berwick!
I don’t see the Evening Chronicle apoligising tonight for saying the Driver was from Blueline!
Anyway I am just a mere humble PH Driver, so I will go and earn some cash for a box of Thorntons Alcohol Free Chocalates!
Regards
@Stephen Arthur,
In a court case the Press have absolute privilege, so as the company name was said they can report and can not be sued for defamation.
@SC, Have you noticed there’s not a peep out of Shanksy now that there’s a spare car available.(Could be coincidence).
I found an earring in the Big Market it could be the one Mr. Letch has got missing.
Puts a whole new meaning on the word pole-axed.
Have you seen the latest in tonight’s chronicle, in lieu of a Locality Test the Licensing department are introducing a Urine Test for Eastern Europeans? They reckon this is much harder to pass.
@SC, Ian took exception to my using his Logo and Motto in the image. Strange I know as the story is about his company so why not show the Logo? I thought I was doing him a favour. I was only too happy to comply though, but…at risk of being seen as spitting out the dummy I will now delete any and all comments which I deem to be advertising for that particular company. “So There!”
@Admin, I think you were correct in the assumption that the operator has to be held responsible in someway for events that take place involving a vehicle being operated under their banner.This driver and vehicle were definitely not licensed by North Tyneside,so any adverse comments by anyone could be deemed as deserved considering the operators went out of their way to bring these vehicles to tyneside and openly encouraged others to get licenses elsewhere and work permanently on their circuits.
He’s going to get his badge back!
Apparently David Wilson a defence solicitor (not to be confused with another man of the same name) found a loop hole based on the absorption rates of alcohol in relation to the ingredients of chocolate liqueurs.
The equation goes something like this:
subtract body mass index of the driver x volume of vodka per liqueur
calculate the number of chocolates consumed per minute x office bit
then multiply these together and then divide by the annual fee to the
appropriate license protection company minus the ten per cent discount
voucher to new applicants on return of their expired plate in good order.
That’s it. You’re now a reformed alcoholic in the eyes of the council and deemed a fit and proper person to drive a taxi.
Simples.
If Mr. Letch had spat out his chocolate liqueurs uncle Ian could have had tonight off.
In his defence he said he had to swerve down Newbridge Street due to the massive tailback of his colleagues cars waiting to get down the Bigg Market. He also said his headlight bulbs went out because he bought the bulbs in Aldi (apparently they’re imported from Poland). He didn’t respond to other drivers flashing their lights as he thought they were just pleased to see him. When asked why he was slumped at the wheel he said he’d pulled a muscle in his back.
When asked why he was breaking heavily he said it was because he was pissed.
Rumour has it Mr Lech is going to transfer his Berwick Plate onto his Trabant Car back home in Poland, however he was advised by his Village Council, to obtain a “Mum’s Taxi” sticker from Mothercare while he was still in the UK, as they feel that a Mum’s Taxi plate would be more legal than a Berwick Plate!!.
Mr Lech has tried to bribe the Lass at his homeland Council (Poland) with a Box of Terry’s All Gold, but she was afraid she may get caught Drunk in charge of her Donkey and Cart on the way home!
I would just like to apologise on behalf of my country in view of the recent damning article in your local Evening Chronicle. I had no idea that hordes of our plumbers were flocking to your city to become taxi drivers.
I must explain that this is all due to a misunderstanding that came about when I told all the plumbers (and one window cleaner) that there was very little work for them and they must now head for the BREADLINE. I think there has obviously been a misprint and this has caused a massive influx of new and totally inexperienced drivers to one of your local private hire firms.
Please accept my condolences for the devastating effect this has had on the livelihoods of all the proper full-time private hire drivers who have suffered as a result of this. I would also like to add that should your country ever be invaded by the Germans (who buy there sat navs from Aldi) all the post codes are directed towards Kenton Lane.
Krakopen A’Bottel.
I wonder if all you bitches would be sniping on the same way if it was one of our Asian brother hack driver which committed the same offence?
@blueline driver,
Blueline Driver,
I think you will find Mr Lech was indeed driving a Hackney Carriage, and it does not matter which country he originates from or the colour of his skin, as we are willing to stand side by side for Britian, after watching Question Time, the point is he probably could not have achieved a Licence with North Tyneside Council and so would not have been in a certain Private Hire Companies vehicle, had that Company, not decided to adopt the “Leslie Crowther” come on down, “The Price is Right” mentality, and as “Brucey” says “Good game,Good game”, and “Points make Prizes” and Mr Lech with your prize of “Choclate Liques” you win a 12 month driving ban, plus your “Brucey Bonus” 12 months Community Service with 40 Hours of “Free Labour”, because you get nothing for a 12 Month Pair, not in this game anyway. PMSL.
I hope this is taken in the fun way it is written, as a bit of light hearted fun on this matter of banter.
Nobody hopefully condones what has happened here, and I am sure Ian did not expect a situation like this to arise, and hopefully he will reconsider his attitude to employing none North Tyneside Licensed Drivers and Vehicles in future.
Thanks
@David Walls, Dave, whats it got to do with where he was licensed? Are you suggesting North Tyneside drivers have never, and will never fall foul of the law?
@ian shanks,
Ian,
This can be a long winded response or a short one, but it has to do with where he is Licensed, because the vehicle he was driving was I suspect like an Advertisement Billboard being a Mondeo Estate, and the fact you cannot drive the vehicle without a Local Authority Licence and Badge, means it is a “Commercially Licensed” 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, unique to that Local Authority “Plying for Hire” Vehicle under there Byelaws.
Now they may claim no “Enforcement Powers” as out of that “Local Authority” Area, but does this not show why they should be in that “Local Authority” Area endangering there “Community” as that way the “Country Bumpkins” may just wake up to what is going on with their Licensed Vehicles and Drivers they feel happy to Licence.
North Tyneside Council do indeed “Licence” people who go on to commit offences and there “fit and proper person” status will be removed after the Courts have dealt with the person, with longer losses of the Local Authority Drivers Licence and Badge, but the fact that a responsible company driver actually shopped this Chocalate Liquior driver tells its own story of a clearly unhappy workforce unwilling to accept these “out of Town” Hackney Carriage Drivers putting at risk the “Investors in Passenger Safety” or the “Who is taking you home tonight” standards they hold dear to there trading name.
I respect you Ian, but do you not think you should be contacting the “Licensing Authorty” who “Licensed” this driver, and by the way, who is the Proprietor of the vehicle that was being driven ? was it the company concerned to ask just one of many questions I could ask on this matter.
I am not trying to score points here Ian, just create thought provoking questions for you to ask yourself about your own business and how it is being percieved by the public on this matter.
Thanks
Dave Walls
@David Walls,
“This can be a long winded response or a short one”- i think we can guess which ones coming
@David Walls, Dave, what if this driver had been North Tyneside Badged and plated? the result would have been exactly the same, its the individual that was at fault.
Even if he had been licensed Newcastle it would not have changed that mans decision to do what he did.
Blue Line dealt with this as soon as we were aware and also did inform the appropriate authority. this is a level of enforcement that is not there with individuals.
Both Newcastle and North Tyneside licensing officers have on more than one occasion had my permission to stop any cars carrying our company livery for what ever reason.
So if its all about public saftey, which they claim, it should not matter what plate a vehicle carrys, or are they really only interested in the public that travels in thier cars?
And by working through a operator you could argue a level of security is created, as the operator has a invested interest in providing a good ser vice. As this was proved by the swift way we dealt with it once we were aware of it. Where was ANY of the beloved enforcement officers? So please do give them praise!
So your following comment comes into play again, maybe all cars should work through a operator as the operator creates a level of control not there with individuals. YOUR WORDS NOT MINE!
“Its a case of the big bus operators controlling the industry, and I can understand that line of opinion”
@blueline driver, Somebody probably would.
@Admin,
hmmm poles and aisans, i wonder who is the more nortorious drinkers!?
@ian shanks, show us where a similar incident occurred involving a NT Licinced driver. This Darius guy wasn’t the first,what about the Blt Berwick plated car that hit a tree and went through someones front garden wall about 3 months back on Wallsend road North Shields, number 59. the wall is still down.There will be a record of this incident with the police but it never made the papers. just licence your cars properly with local badged drivers because this will keep happening and even if you stop admin from putting it on here it will still get out,you seem hell bent on damaging your business for the sake of your pride.
@ian shanks,
Ian,
I do not think we are really looking to blame each other here, just pointing out a few pointers that is all, as I accept you cannot control every driver, unless you force them to undertake a breath test first before starting work at 33 Sycamore Street, Wallsend, just like the Bus Companies, doing random breath tests for there drivers what a novel idea.
Thanks
Dave Walls
@ian shanks,
“Blue Line dealt with this as soon as we were aware and also did inform the appropriate authority”
appropriate authority, who is this ian? as if it’s a berwick plated vehicle we are talking about here, they no longer exist, are you saying that Northumberland accept responsibility for these berwick plates that they are trying to remove?