
A private hire driver has avoided prison after running over a 68-year-old pensioner in Gosforth, causing catastrophic injuries that ultimately resulted in the victim losing his lower left leg.
Hasan Goni, 43, was rushing to pick up a Blueline customer on October 21, 2024, when he made a right turn off Great North Road and struck the elderly pedestrian.
The victim, who was using a walking stick following a recent hip replacement, was hit at around 3pm after leaving a doctors' surgery.
Prosecutor Nicoleta Alistari told Newcastle Crown Court that Goni failed to see the man crossing the street, stating: "The front of the Ford struck him and threw him into the air. He felt immediate pain in both legs."
Goni, who tested negative for alcohol and drugs, stopped immediately to call 999. Witnesses noted his first words upon exiting his Ford Mondeo were, "I was going 20."
The victim was rushed to the intensive care unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary with fractures to his femur, neck, and ribs. His condition worsened during a four-month hospital stay, where he contracted pneumonia and severe infections, forcing doctors to amputate his lower left leg.
In a statement read to the court, the victim revealed he had undergone three operations and now suffers from flashbacks.
Defending counsel Christopher Knox argued that Goni was not speeding and blamed the collision on a "momentary lapse of concentration."
Mr. Knox added: "It is unfortunate that he has not seen the injured party crossing the road. He very much regrets it." The court heard that Goni, a licensed driver for seven years, has since lost his livelihood.
Goni pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving.
On Friday 3 July, Judge Robert Adams sentenced him to 25 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months.
Goni was also ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work, 20 rehabilitation days, and has been banned from driving for 18 months.

Bishopbriggs is set to get a new taxi rank at the Kirkintilloch Road bus stop near Costa Coffee following a public consultation, East Dunbartonshire Council has decided.

Flintshire cabbies had high levels of compliance with licensing laws in a successful joint operation carried out by Flintshire County Council, North Wales Police and the DVSA.

The revelations emerged during a recent London Assembly meeting, raising serious doubts about whether the automated technology is truly ready for the capital's complex streets.

The bridge has reportedly become a hotspot for private hire vehicles stopping to collect passengers, particularly late-night crowds leaving the nearby Charters Bar.

Brighton and Hove City Council has backed down and agreed to reinstate regular licensing updates following fierce complaints from opposition councillors who claimed they were being kept completely in the dark.

Local cabbies claim that the city's streets have become too difficult to navigate, causing both shoppers and companies to abandon the area in favour of online shopping or neighbouring cities.

Amber Valley Borough Council has recently relocated its hackney carriage and private hire vehicle testing centre to a garage in Sheffield, around 25 miles outside the licensing area

The operation saw Licensing, Community Protection, Wolverhampton Police and Walsall Council’s MOT testing team inspect 12 licensed vehicles during an evening enforcement exercise.

The acquisition represents a significant milestone for both companies and marks the latest stage in Express Taxis' continued expansion across the county.

While a recent 12-week public consultation revealed cabbies are divided on if CCTV should be legally required, there is overwhelming consensus that the cameras keeps everyone secure.

One angry driver told PHTM: "We're protesting because some drivers have been charged more than £300 for just one week's commission - we used to pay £120-£140 a week.

The drivers all held hackney carriage licences issued by Manchester City Council, which meant they were not legally allowed to pick up unbooked passengers within the Trafford area. 

The review is part of a regular process required to have a new fare structure officially in place by October 22.

Peter King groomed his victims in the 1990s and 2000s when they were as young as nine and 11, using day trips, clothes, and food to lure them to his Highgate flat. 

The operator first came to the attention of authorities after advertising fares on social media. 

Diwan Khan, who was jailed for 12 years in April for raping an unconscious 15-year-old girl in his car, held a taxi driver licence issued by Bracknell Forest Council between January 2021 and January 2024.

Sam Hodkinson, 23, was travelling down Blackburn Road in Egerton when the branch suddenly crushed the vehicle, prompting emergency services to temporarily close the road near Higher Dunscar.

The decisions, made during a meeting on June 16, mark a departure from standard licensing policies due to what councillors described as exceptional circumstances beyond the drivers' control.

Damian Watson, 36, was driving a white Mercedes van in Anfield in April this year when he picked up a woman who had mistakenly believed he was the Uber driver she had ordered on her phone.

Running from Friday, June 26 until midday on Friday, August 7, the council is actively seeking feedback from drivers, operators, passengers, and residents on the draft policy.
