Camborne cabbie fined for using licensed taxi without insurance

Magistrates in Truro also gave Adam Jason Bagnall, aged 31 of Nicholas Holman Road, eight points on his licence after being told he had been carrying children on a Cornwall Council passenger transport contract.

The court heard that the council’s licensing compliance team had received a complaint from a member of the public in January 2017 over the way the licensed taxi, owned and operated by Bagnall, was being driven. This alleged that the vehicle had been seen driving at speed along the A30 through Shortlanesend towards Redruth, tailgating vehicles until it was able to overtake, on two separate occasions.

On January 26, Andrea Carter, from the council’s licensing compliance team, and an officer from the passenger transport unit, went to Nine Maidens School where they informed Bagnall that they believed that his licensed vehicle was not insured or taxed. He stated that he did have insurance and tax and he was asked to bring evidence of this to the council’s offices at Dolcoath in Camborne.

Later that morning Bagnall went to the council’s office where he said that, after checking, he realised that the vehicle was not taxed or insured. He had already taken the plate from the vehicle and was issued with a suspension notice for the vehicle. Following further investigations it was discovered that the vehicle had been uninsured since November 2016.

Bagnall told magistrates that he had been in "a very dark place” following a relationship break up and had not been opening his post.

Following the hearing Ms Carter said: “We are very pleased with the outcome of this case. Mr Bagnall undertook serious action in transporting the general public without insurance, especially children, and seemed to have complete disregard for his actions."

Bagnall's taxi driver licence was revoked by members of the council's miscellaneous licensing committee on February 10.