August 2, 2007
Taxi driver ill after caution
A DISTRAUGHT family says their father suffered a stroke after being given a formal caution for parking in a taxi rank.
Munshi Khan, 71, who has been a taxi driver for 25 years, parked in the rank outside Lister Hospital for 18 minutes in February.
His family say that although technically not allowed, it is common practice among taxi drivers and the law is not generally enforced.
According to Mr Khan's family, Stevenage Borough Council had recently started enforcing it, but other drivers had merely been given verbal warnings.
Mr Khan was given a written caution last week which will stay on his file for three years.
His family say the stress of this caused him to have a stroke on Sunday.
He is currently in the special stroke unit at the QEII in Welwyn Garden City.
Mr Khan's son Ashfaq Rehman, the managing director of Ace Taxis, said: "Work is his life. Everyone who knows him, they know that that's the scenario with him. He's a worker, he's a grafter.
"It was the pure stress that he's got a record for something and if anything minor happened from now on, he could lose his licence."
Mr Rehman said that he was reluctant for his father to sign his caution on the day he went for his hearing, but he was told he would be taken to court unless he signed it there and then.
Another of Mr Khan's sons, Shafiq Rehman, was at a hearing the same day and was allowed 24 hours to get advice about his caution.
A spokesman for the council said: "Mr Khan accepted a simple caution as a result of an investigation into an offence he had committed in February which he admitted in writing.
"A simple caution may only be given with the consent of the person who committed the offence and the course of action taken on each individual case is considered on its merits.
"The alternative in Mr Khan's case was to prosecute, so out of the remedies available to the council the simple caution was the least stressful course of action.
"During the five months of the investigation he was told in writing and verbally of his right to seek legal advice and officers in the licensing team here gave advice on enforcement procedures to his family members who telephoned on his behalf on a number of occasions.
"We were all very sad to hear that Mr Khan suffered a stroke on Sunday and extend our best wishes to him and his family and hope for a speedy recovery.
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