4:00pm Saturday 30th January 2010
By Matt Smith
A TAXI trade body has backed calls for a formal code of conduct after a cabbie who romped with a customer in his taxi was wrongly accused of rape.
Lance Bradley was cleared of raping a 19-year-old student in the back of his cab after a nine-month ordeal he said had destroyed his life, as reported by the Daily Echo.
Jurors at Southampton Crown Court took just an hour to acquit him.
Mr Bradley, 52, of Sandpiper Road, Southampton, admitted having sex with the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, but insisted she instigated it.
The case prompted calls for a new code of conduct to be established for drivers.
Cabinet member for community safety, Councillor Royston Smith, said it would be useful to have discussions with the trade about establishing a code of conduct that would set out what it expected of drivers.
Today the chairman of the Southampton Hackney Assoc-iation said he would welcome the move.
Ian Hall held up a code of conduct Hampshire County Council requires of drivers taking on contracts to transport school children and vulnerable adults.
It bans hugging, holding, cuddling, tickling, horseplay or unnecessary physical contact. It also prohibits rude or personal remarks.
He said: “I would be a keen advocate for the City Council to incorporate some of these rules. All drivers should have written on card what should and shouldn’t be done.
“This council is keen to promote the fact it was one of the first to make cameras mandatory. They could follow it with a code of conduct.”
Chairman of the Southampton cab section of Unite, Perry McMillan, said he backed a new code to help to educate drivers on the dangers of sexual liaisons and flirtations with customers.
“It’s something that all drivers should be aware of,” he said.
Chairman of Radio Taxis and the Southampton Taxi Association Clive Johnson added: “These are public transport vehicles. You’ve got children and families getting into these cars. You don’t want to get into a taxi where the driver has been bonking away on the back seat.”
Southampton City Council regulates taxi driver behaviour through a “fit and proper person” test. Officers can suspend drivers and refer them to councillors to review their licence if it is deemed their behaviour had fallen below expected standards.
Mr Bradley faces a hearing to get back his licence.
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