Posted on the 7th October 2025 in PHTM News

TORBAY TAXI DRIVER LOSES LICENCE AFTER ASSAULTING POLICE OFFICER

A Torbay taxi driver has had her licence revoked by the council's licensing committee after being found guilty of assaulting an emergency worker following a day of drinking.

The committee heard that the driver, who was not named, had failed to notify the council of her initial arrest and charges within the required 48 hours.

The council report noted that the driver had previous convictions, including some for offences committed while under the influence of alcohol.

The committee was particularly concerned that the convictions: “demonstrated a pattern of behaviour that extended beyond isolated incidents and reflected a lack of personal responsibility and poor judgement.”

The driver's admission to "drinking all day before assaulting the emergency worker" was a significant factor. Her explanation for pleading guilty - that she did so simply to “get things over with” - was rejected by the councillors.

Although the driver attended the meeting and gave what the councillors considered "generally good answers when speaking about her role as a driver," they found there was a “significant failure” in her understanding of her responsibilities.

The council report concluded: “Members considered that the respondent’s convictions and conduct fell far below the standard expected of a licensed driver.”

The decision to revoke the licence was justified on the grounds that councillors “would not allow their son or daughter, spouse or partner, mother or father, grandson or granddaughter – or any other person for whom they care, or any other vulnerable person known to them – to get into a vehicle alone with the driver.”


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