‘Intolerable’ racist abuse towards private hire driver caught on mobile device leads to court conviction
- Perry Richardson
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
A passenger who hurled racist abuse at a private hire driver has been found guilty of a racially aggravated offence, following an incident that took place in December 2024.
According to Avon and Somerset Police’s dedicated Taxi Cop, PC Patrick Quinton, the driver was subjected to “really foul racist language” by a passenger during a job late last year. Some of the verbal abuse was recorded on a mobile phone, which helped secure the charge.
The individual was charged with a Racially Aggravated Public Order offence and found guilty in court a couple of weeks ago. Sentencing has been adjourned pending further reports. PC Quinton confirmed that full sentencing details will be shared once they become available.
Commenting on the case, PC Quinton said: “Racist abuse to you is intolerable, and where we have good evidence of it, we try and get offenders to Court such as this case.”
The case highlights the type of incidents taxi and private hire drivers can face while working. Police forces across the country have encouraged drivers to report all forms of abuse and are continuing to investigate cases where sufficient evidence is available.
This latest update forms part of Avon and Somerset Police’s commitment to keep the local taxi and PHV industry informed of cases affecting their safety and welfare.
PC Patrick Quinton, Taxi Cop for Avon and Somerset Police, said: “You may remember I said a few weeks ago I wanted to tell you more about cases where people are charged, not just convicted.
“In December 2024, a PHD picked up passengers, and one of them became verbally abusive and used really foul racist language to the driver. Some of the abuse was captured on a mobile phone. As a result, the passenger was charged with a Racially Aggravated Public Order offence.
“He was found guilty a couple of weeks ago and the case has been adjourned for sentencing reports. Once the details of the sentence are known I will share that with you.“
