Two Dead In Shocking Night Of Violence...Local Mum Speaks Out !

TWO young men have been stabbed to death in Camden within the space of an hour, with reports of several other attacks throughout the night.

A 17-year-old boy was attacked with a knife in Kentish Town, near the Peckwater estate, at 8:30pm. He was pronounced dead 30 minutes later, just yards from the shrine to a 19-year-old who was killed on Sunday.

A second young man was stabbed to death in Malden Road, Queen’s Crescent, at around 10pm.

He has been named locally as Sadiq Aadam, the brother of 20-year-old Mohamed Aadam, who was murdered in Hampstead Road in September. Their cousin, Mohamed Abdullahi, was murdered in 2013 aged 20.

Police closed Islip Street in Kentish Town

Police are carrying out extra patrols and officers have been given emergency powers to stop and search anyone, without the need for “reasonable grounds” of suspicion. Known as Section 60 order, it is a measure often introduced after serious flare-ups of youth violence and means anyone in the area can be detained and frisked.

The Met said: “Urgent enquiries are underway to establish the full circumstances and identify if there are any links between the two incidents.”

There were reports on social media of up to six stabbings taking place within the space of a few hours on Tuesday night. Police confirmed there had been two murders, but said they unaware of any other “critical incidents”.

In Kentish Town, paramedics and police officers battled to save the boy’s life on the pavement at the junction of Islip Street and Bartholomew Road. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Neighbours said that he lived with his family on the nearby Peckwater estate, where a shrine was built on Sunday night in the memory of 19-year-old Lewis Blackman, who was murdered in West London.

The shrine was built next to one in the memory of his friend, Nuno Cardoso, a law student who died after collapsing in a police van in December.

Flowers to Nuno Cardoso and Lewis Blackman 

The community centre on the Peckwater estate was opened up late tonight to provide shelter for the relatives of the latest victim, who have gathered at the scene. A group of around 50 friends and family were at the scene.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT : From Local Mum and friend of the London Taxi Trade Mandy J Sanderson. (Taken from Facebook).

What on earth is the world coming too! 

Young men losing there lives, mothers losing there sons, just tonight 4 or 5 stabbings on our doorstep. What is going on, words fail me, my heart goes out to all families who are affected by this madness its so scary

Camden Council in there wisdom cut back the youth service, they took away the one thing these kids had to help them survive.

And now look whats going on, no guidance, no support anywhere for the youth to be mentored, to learn a different way. Its all gone to shit...but yet, Camden take millions in revenue from issuing PCNs alone, they pay shit loads out in expense accounts for there over paid brain dead staff, wtf is that all about.

The power's that be need to get some common sense factors initiated right now god dam. 

For instance lets take Camden's recycling centre who crush millions of pounds of decent computers, bikes, toys etc daily. 

Lets set up a project where the youth could have a workshop where there use the parts from one broken bike to repair another broke bike and make a nice fully working bike which could then be sold off on site, and a percentage of the profit goes to the youth that did this project. 

Hence teaching the youth, if you take the time to work, you can earn money. If they channel their energy into this sort of stuff they will be too tired to go out looking for trouble and will learn if you work hard you can have money without breaking the law. 

But no one wants to give these kids a chance, no one wants to show them a better way.

They could make a start in schools. We need to bring back proper assemblies,where they talk to kids about respect and manners and how far these life skills go. I honestly learnt so much from our school assemblies its time to bring it back.

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Glamour Model Turned Cabby, Joins Team Of Ex-Page 3 Girls To Help Cancer Stricken Colleague

We all remember The Sun newspaper's page 3 girls, how could anybody possibly forget them. They were as much a part of British culture over the last few decades as pie and mash.

Sadly, one of those iconic ladies has been stricken with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a very rare form of cancer.

Belinda Charlton Gilfoyle, 48 and pictured above, was diagnosed with the illness 4 years ago, it has attacked her tongue and has spread to her lungs and her breastbone.

Unfortunately, the NHS are unable to treat Belinda, there is, however the possibility of a ground-breaking treatment abroad, which will give her a real fighting chance.

Glamour model turned taxi driver Donna Ewin, plus several other models, have flown into action to help their friend and fellow page 3 girl.

A charitable event to help raise funds for Belinda's treatment will take place on 28th March with full details to be released soon. The girls have also started a go-fund-me page to help Belinda, the target figure is £250,000. This figure will help facilitate Belindas treatment and give her a real shot at beating her illness.

I spoke to the ever-popular, Donna Ewin, who decided to follow in her fathers footsteps to become a cabby 17 years ago, she said:

 "Belinda is a beautiful person, inside and out, she is a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She is incredibly brave and her selflessness is truly amazing. We are here to ask the public for help so that she has a fighting chance to beat this awful illness."

Donna added: "please, if you are able to, make a donation, no matter how small the amount, every penny will help this wonderful woman."

If you wish to donate, please visit:

https://www.gofundme.com/help-us-cure-belinda

Article from TaxiPoint 

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Nottingham Council Show TfL How It Should Be Done.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT UP FRONT 

Nottingham council are showing the was forward. Not only are the council investing in Electric Charging infrastructure, they are actually buying a small number of new ULEV Taxi to lease out to drivers who can't afford to buy directly. Plus, they are also to carry on promoting the present Euro VI models. 

Below is an article from The Business Desk: 

Nottingham's famous enough Green Taxis.

Nottingham City Council is driving changes to the city’s fleet of taxis as it continues on a journey of improvement.

Next week it will unveil eco-friendly hackney cab vehicles, and a new app, as part of an ongoing programme of changes.

The most noticeable change will be a new black-and-white livery that will replace the existing green cabs.

More significantly, the council will be placing orders for a small number of Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) models and investing in supporting charging infrastructure.

It has the ambition of all of the city’s cabs, which currently total 411, to be either ULEV models or meet Euro VI, a European Union directive that sets standards for emissions from light commercial vehicles.

The changes will contribute to achieving air quality standards and support any potential Clean Air Zone, the council said.

Cllr Toby Neal from Nottingham City Council said: “For too long, taxis have been the poor relation in Nottingham’s integrated transport network.

“This is a really exciting transformation of taxi services in our city.

“It means we will no longer have cabs churning out exhaust fumes while sitting in the rank, so it benefits everyone in the city, not just taxi passengers.”

A new app has been developed by MyTaxi, which has 18,000 drivers signed up in London alone. Nottingham becomes the first UK city to follow London in launching the service that allows passengers to book a hackney from their smart phone, use cashless payment and have their journey and driver logged.

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Appeal after woman sexually assaulted in private hire car on Christmas Day

Officers from the Met's Taxi and Private Hire team are appealing for witnesses after a woman was sexually assaulted in a mini-cab on Christmas day. 

At around 01:40hrs on Monday, 25 December the victim, a 20-year-old woman, attempted to hire a mini-cab in Croydon but was unable to do so.

A group of females approached the woman, one of whom ordered her a mini-cab from her mobile phone.

When the mini-cab arrived at the top of Laud Street/High Street, the woman got in and asked to be taken home. 

Around 15 minutes into the journey, the driver stopped in Penge Road/Sunnybank Road where he sexually assaulted her. 

She managed to get away out of the rear door and flagged down a passing car whose occupants called police. The driver then made off. 

The suspect is described as a male with brown skin.

PC Louise Coleman, from the Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: "The suspect took complete advantage of a vulnerable female and the incident has left her extremely shaken. 

"If you were there that night, or have any information which could help progress this investigation, please get in touch."

Police would like to speak with any members of the group who helped the victim get a mini cab, particularly the female who ordered the mini cab for her.

 

If you were part of this group or have any information, you are urged to contact the Taxi and Private Hire Policing Investigations Unit on  0208 345 1076.

Alternatively, you can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org

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Uber Class-Action Lawsuit Over How Drivers Were Paid Gets Green Light From Judge

A class-action lawsuit alleging that Uber stiffed its drivers of fare money has received class certification, paving the way for the lawsuit to include thousands of drivers nationwide who did not sign an arbitration agreement with the San Francisco company.

The breach of contract lawsuit, filed in May in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, alleges that when Uber implemented a feature called "upfront pricing" in August 2016, it didn't pay drivers their fair share.

Previously, the cost of Uber rides was calculated based on factors such as miles traveled and time. Passengers were charged accordingly at the end of the ride, and Uber passed along 80% of the fare to drivers, keeping 20% for itself.

The lawsuit alleges that when Uber introduced upfront pricing, it quoted and charged passengers a higher fare upfront, but continued to pay drivers based on previous calculations, which resulted in drivers receiving less than 80% of the total fare.

"Uber has failed to properly act as payment collection agent for Plaintiff and other drivers," the lawsuit read. "Uber's failure to pay the amounts promised under the Agreement and the Addendum is a material breach of the Agreement."

Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This isn't the first time Uber has been slapped with a lawsuit over the way it pays its drivers.

In April, Los Angeles Uber driver Sophano Van filed a similar class action, yet to be certified, alleging that Uber's upfront pricing practice was a breach of contract.

The company has also been sued for pocketing drivers' tips, and it faces lawsuits around the country about whether it owes drivers expense reimbursement and benefits.

In the certification order issued last week and made public Friday evening, Judge William Alsup determined that the class includes Uber drivers across the country who meet all of the following criteria:

• Opted out of Uber’s arbitration provision.

• Drove for UberX or UberSelect.

• Transported a passenger who was charged an upfront fare before May 22, 2017, when Uber updated its driver fee schedule.

• Made less money overall on rides because of the upfront pricing.

Uber produced ride-by-ride data for all drivers who opted out of arbitration, which resulted in about 4,600 drivers who could participate in the lawsuit, said Paul B. Maslo, a partner at law firm Napoli Shkolnik and lead counsel for the drivers.

"Without this decision, it would have likely been the end of the road for drivers seeking to recover for Uber's breach," he said.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.

Drivers will have until March 22 to opt out of the lawsuit and pursue their own litigation.

Source LA Times 

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Uber's Policy Of "It's Easier To Ask Forgiveness Than Permission" Suspended In Morocco

Uber said on Monday it would suspend operations in Morocco, two years after they began, as it tries to bring its business into line with local laws.

Uber has already halted services in Norway and Finland as it waits for the regulatory framework to change in those countries, a sign of the less pugnacious approach the company is taking toward local authorities. 

The U.S. ride-hailing company has faced bans, restrictions and protests around the world as it disrupts conventional taxi services. But its new chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, has struck a more conciliatory tone after a string of controversies that emerged under the former CEO, Travis Kalanick. 

“Since we launched in Morocco over two years ago, there has been a lack of clarity about new platforms like Uber and how they fit into the existing transport model,” Uber said in a statement. 

The company has engaged with policymakers to find a solution but “despite consistent dialogue ... we have yet to see any constructive progress on the regulations and can safely say we have exhausted all measures.” 

Uber will halt its services in Casablanca on Friday. It said services would resume as soon as new rules were in place. 

Morocco only recognizes conventional taxis and has no provisions for private hire vehicles. 

Uber has had to suspend its service using non-professional drivers in several European cities like Paris and Brussels, but it still operates a licensed service there. 

Khosrowshahi, who took over at Uber last year, said in October that “regulating services like Uber is totally appropriate”. 

Uber has 19,000 regular riders in Morocco and 300 drivers, who will be provided with financial support over the next two weeks. 

“We are committed to supporting the hundreds of drivers that have benefited from the economic opportunities of using the Uber app. We will be working closely with them through this difficult transition,” Uber said.

Source Reuters 

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Minicab Sexual Predator, Convicted For Grooming Young Passenger !

A 35-year-old male minicab driver has been convicted of attempting to meet a girl under 16 after grooming her. 

Spyros Ntounis, 35 [27.06.82] of Drayton Green Road, Ealing W13 was found guilty today, Monday, 19 February, following a three-day trial at Kingston Crown Court.

He was brought to justice following an investigation by the Met's Roads and Transport Policing Command Taxi and Private Hire Policing Team.

Ntounis, a private-hire vehicle driver, started committing the offence on Saturday, 22 April 2017 at 21:28hrs, when he picked up a 14-year-old girl from an address in Barnes.

The girl got into the backseat of the car and once the journey started, Ntounis engaged her in conversation, much of which was inappropriate. He gave her his telephone number in case she ever needed a mincab in the future, but got her to text him so that he would know if it was her.

Near to the end of the journey, Ntounis slowed down so much that the girl asked him why. He told her it was so he could spend more time her. They arrived at the victim's address and she went inside.

Ntounis then sent several messages to the girl on WhatsApp, which she replied to. Becoming concerned about the interaction, the girl told her parents. They blocked Ntounis's messages on WhatsApp and informed police. Undeterred, he later texted her directly. 

In order to get written evidence, the parents advised their daughter to respond to the texts before blocking those messages as well. In the messages, Ntounis admitted he had realised her age. The parents then reported this to police as well. 

Police officers carried out a search of Ntounis's home address, however he was not there. They later managed to contact Ntounis by phone and arranged for him to attend a north London police station on 30 May where he was cautioned. He gave a no comment interview.

Ntounis was released under investigation for enquiries to progress. Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, a charge of attempting to meet girl under 16 following sexual grooming was authorised. 

Ntounis was summonsed to court by Postal Charge and Requisition. 

Ntounis appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on 18 July 2017 where he pleaded not guilty. He will be sentenced on a date to be confirmed. 

Inspector Jas Sandhu, Met's Roads and Transport Policing Command said: "The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) will not tolerate any offences committed upon passengers of taxi and private hire vehicles and will robustly pursue offenders. 

"Thanks to the actions by the victim and her family and the Met's investigation, a dangerous individual's actions have been stopped from going any further." 

Siwan Hayward, Transport for London's Head of Transport Policing, said: "We take all allegations against licensed Taxi and Private Hire drivers extremely seriously and as soon as we were made aware of this offence we suspended this driver's licence immediately. As this case shows, reporting any behaviour that makes you feel uncomfortable is very important. It will be taken seriously and by working closely with the police we will fully investigate all allegations, bring offenders to justice and push for the toughest penalties possible."

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT.

So Siwan, it can be done.....

If 'reporting any behaviour that makes you feel uncomfortable is very important', why wasn't Uber driver Shahid Qureshi's Licence suspended after his first sexual assault?....(you remember....the Uber driver convicted yesterday for sexual assault on a passenger a year after he was arrested for a similar office in December 2016). 

Surely Siwan at TfLTPH, you have a duty of care to protect the public....if you are not doing this, then it's time you were relieved of your position and the post given to someone who can actually succeed in the job of protecting the public.  

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