Cabbie ordered to pay hundreds of pounds for letting an unlicensed person borrow his taxi

A Nottingham cabbie has been ordered to pay £285 for allowing his landlady to borrow his cab, who then went on to get caught running a red light. The court heard how cabbie Kevin Mwangi, 30, lent his vehicle to Maria Smith-Browne when her car wouldn't start and she needed to rush off after receiving an urgent call from her sister.

Maria Smith-Browne was clocked running a red light at around 6am on the morning of 14 October 2018. 

As the owner of the vehicle, Mwangi was contacted in relation to the offence but categorically denied driving through a red light. 

After recalling lending the vehicle to his landlady, it was then confirmed that it was Maria Smith-Browne who was driving at the time.

He told the court that he had just finished work and had gone to bed. Smith-Browne went to his bedroom and asked to use the car. "I was not aware of what was happening and pointed to where I had left the keys and continued sleeping. If I had been awake, I would have jump-started Maria's car," said Mwangi. Maria told the court: "I received a phone call from my sister who was stranded in town on a night out with a couple of friends. She had lost her handbag and money." As reported in the Nottingham Post, Maria Smith-Browne, 47, pleaded guilty to using a taxi when not licensed and was fined £140. She was also ordered to pay costs of £115 and three penalty points were added to her licence. 

Mr Mwangi received a fine of £170 along with costs of £115. He admitted permitting use of a taxi by an unlicensed driver.

Image: Source; Geograph

Image: Author; Richard Croft