Taxi licence decision upheld

A man imprisoned for theft has failed to overturn a refusal by the licensing authority to grant him a taxi licence.

Jon Peacock was convicted a year ago on three counts of theft, totalling more than £680, and sentenced to four months in prison.

His application for a public passenger vehicle licence, or PPV, was turned down on the grounds drivers are in a position of trust and he had stolen from an employer over a period of months.

In turning down the application, the Road Transport Licensing Committee cited its policy that a person seeking a taxi licence should be free of convictions for at least three years.

Mr Peacock had appealed against that decision to the high bailiff's court, arguing he was of previous good character, had acted opportunistically during a very bad time, and being refused a licence meant he was being punished twice.

But Deputy High Baillif Alastair Montgomerie dismissed the appeal, saying the offences were serious enough to warrant an immediate prison sentence and the RTLC had made a reasonable decision under its own rules.