A MAN driving innocent passengers in a car without a license has been successfully prosecuted and given a criminal record thanks to South Somerset District Council's licensing team. A 41-year-old man from Yeovil was tracked by the Council, and was detained by police in Avon and Somerset driving on the way to Heathrow Airport with passengers still in the vehicle. The board of the license enforcement officer, Nigel Marston, said: "We followed up on some intelligence that led to working with the police to take the driver to court. " He has been driving for a year without a license to drive a private hire vehicle, and none for the car, he now has a criminal record after being found guilty of three charges, thanks to our work in partnership with the police. "Travelling in a unlicenced mini cab taxi or car has many risks, the driver would probably not have had a recent criminal history check in order to verify he had no convictions, and the car would not have valid insurance in the case of an accident, so there would be no insurance cover. "Moreover, the car is not roadworthy as they have not gone through our rigorous controls to ensure that the car is suitable for such use." Cllr Ric Pallister, the council's portfolio holder for housing, environmental health and inclusion, said: "With safety as a high priority will continue working closely with the police to ensure the safety of our residents in the using of taxis and rental cars. "As we come up to the Christmas period I want to remind everyone to check that they are using licensed vehicles and licensed drivers. If in doubt do not use the vehicle and to report it." Mr. Marston added: "There are very few cases like this and we do generally have a fantastic community of licensed drivers."
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