25 January 2017

Leicester taxi driver fined for refusing to pick up blind couple with guide dog

A taxi driver who refused to take a couple with a guide dog on religious grounds has been ordered to pay a total of £590 by a court.

Abandi Jamal Kassim (43), of Fountains Avenue, Eyres Monsell, Leicester, was sentenced at Leicester Magistrates Court, today.

In a prosecution brought by Leicester City Council under the Equality Act 2010, he pleaded guilty to the offence.

As reported by the Leicester Mercury at the time, the incident happened on July 1, last year.

John Moss, prosecuting, said that the law was clearly laid out in the conditions of the taxi driver's permit issued to Kassim by the city council.

He said: "You refused to carry out a booking that had been made by a disabled person and the reason you gave was because they were accompanied by a dog. [The Leicester Mercury] Read more