Devon taxi driver has licence suspended for failing to inform council of 100mph speeding offence

A Devon taxi driver has had his licence suspended after he failed to report a conviction to his licensing authority for speeding at more than 100mph. Cabbie Danny Marconi told Torbay Council’s licensing sub-committee the speeding offence happened on the day he found out something in relation to his wedding being called off.
The committee heard how Mr Marconi was driving back to Torquay, after visiting his disabled mother and father who is suffering from a serious illness in Plymouth. Mr Marconi said he had felt angry due to the news he had received and was unaware of the speed he was driving at. He told the hearing at Torquay: “There was no cars, the road was clear. I remember grabbing the wheel and accelerating. “I was angry and frustrated. I knew I was speeding. It was wrong, but I did not know I was doing over 100 miles per hour.” Councillors heard Mr Marconi was convicted of speeding at Cornwall magistrates court in October 2018, and subsequently banned from driving for 40 days and ordered to pay a fine of £325. He was caught in a section of the dual carriageway at South Brent where the limit was reduced from the standard 70mph. Mr Marconi had his taxi licence suspended for failing to inform the council of his conviction within five days, as per the terms and conditions outlined by the council.
Licensing staff became aware of the conviction after a search of records and approached Mr Marconi by letter, which he failed to respond to. Mr Marconi said he had not seen the letter because he had been away from home staying with his parents. Speaking at his hearing, he told councillors that on the day of his speeding offence he was “not in the right frame of mind” because of personal issues.
He went on to say that other than on that occasion he was fine and was working without any problems. He added that he told his insurance company straight away of the offence but was just not aware he had to inform the council too. Mr Marconi said the hardest part was that he lost his income meaning he wasn't able to help his mother financially. He added he felt he was still paying the price for the offence because his insurance fees had gone up and he was facing the stress of a licence review. As reported in the Devon Live, the sub-committee decided to suspend Mr Marconi’s taxi driver licence for three months at a hearing on Thursday morning. The suspension will end earlier if he successfully completes a driver awareness course.
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