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A former Derby taxi-turned-delivery driver has failed in his appeal to get his driving ban lifted after he reached 15 penalty points on his licence. Jabber Choudhry lost his licence and his livelihood after going just 6mph above the 30mph speed limit in London Road, Derby.
He told Derby Crown Court he never received any of the letters that were sent to his Normanton address telling him he was being prosecuted for speeding.
The 51-year-old told the hearing the first he knew about it was when he received a letter from Derby City Council telling him his cab badge was being taken from him. Abigail Hill, prosecuting the appeal asked the defendant: “There is no dispute that the letters was sent by the prosecution, just you did not receive them?”
Choudhry replied: “Yes.”
Mrs Hill said: “Has anyone else living at your property had problems with the post?”
The defendant replied: “Yes.”
The prosecutor said: “Your entire household has had problems with the post?”
He said: “Yes.”
Mrs Hill asked: “Have you contacted the Royal Mail?”
Choudhry replied: “No.”
She sad: “So for the past two years you have done nothing to address the problem with the post at all?”
The defendant replied: “No.”
The hearing was told how a car registered to Choudhry was captured driving at 36mph by a speed camera in 30mph limit London Road, in Derby, at 2.31pm on August 11, 2020.
Mrs Hill said a letter of intended prosecution was sent to the defendant’s address in Rosehill Street, Normanton, three days later and a follow-up letter was sent on September 4.
She said there was no response to either and so a court letter sent informing him of a court date.
On that date, the defendant was found guilty in his absence of a charge of failing to provide details of a driver alleged to be guilty of a motoring offence.
Magistrates fined him £660 and ordered him to pay £110 costs and a £66 victim surcharge.
Because that took his points to 15 due to repeat offending, they also disqualified him from driving for six months.
Choudhry, defending himself, said he now works delivering food for a takeaway.
Judge Jonathan Bennett, dismissing the appeal, said: “You told us rather vaguely in evidence there was some problem with the post and then remarkably you have never told the Royal Mail about this.
“What you have told us is that you have lost your taxi badge and it is going to be a while before you can get that back. You told us, to your credit, you got other work in a takeaway and then you had to give that up because your mother died.
“You went back to Pakistan, then returned, and you are now driving 15 hours a week. The disqualification remains in place, you must not drive for six months.”
