(England) Subhan Shafiq, the Mayor of the British town of Milton Keynes, has resigned after it has emerged that he personally vouched for a friend of his to receive a taxis driver licence, even though he knew his so called friend had 4 convictions for rape. (In the UK, it is supposedly illegal to be a licensed taxis driver with a conviction of a sexual nature.)
The driver, who has not been named, first applied for a taxi licence in February 2010. However, a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check revealed that he had four convictions for serious sexual assault, including rape. 14 months later, in April 2011, a council sub-committee met to consider the application. After Mr Shafiq gave him a “very strong character reference” and described himself as a friend, the driver was issued a taxi licence in September 2011. Get that, somebody in a position of authority, allowing his friend (a known rapist) to be given a job which allows him to be alone with vulnerable females. Talk about nepotism.
Well, somebody put a complaint in to the council in January of this year, and it took till April in which to revoke this man's licence, and it took another 4 months before somebody questioned Mr Shafiq's involvement, something, if they had acted on early, would have prevented him becoming Mayor in June of this year and this utter farce from taking the central stage.
The driver, who has not been named, first applied for a taxi licence in February 2010. However, a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check revealed that he had four convictions for serious sexual assault, including rape. 14 months later, in April 2011, a council sub-committee met to consider the application. After Mr Shafiq gave him a “very strong character reference” and described himself as a friend, the driver was issued a taxi licence in September 2011. Get that, somebody in a position of authority, allowing his friend (a known rapist) to be given a job which allows him to be alone with vulnerable females. Talk about nepotism.
Well, somebody put a complaint in to the council in January of this year, and it took till April in which to revoke this man's licence, and it took another 4 months before somebody questioned Mr Shafiq's involvement, something, if they had acted on early, would have prevented him becoming Mayor in June of this year and this utter farce from taking the central stage.
