A taxi driver who was fined after failing to provide a roadside breath test has been warned over his future conduct.
Glasgow’s licensing committee decided to renew Duffin Taxi & Co’s taxi vehicle licence for three years, but issued the warning after hearing about Gurcharan Sidhu’s conviction from Police Scotland.
A police officer told councillors the driver had been fined £250 and given penalty points on his licence following an incident in September 2020.
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She said Mr Sidhu had failed to cooperate with a breath test when officers reasonably suspected he had committed a traffic offence.
The driver had not reported his conviction to the council’s licensing team, she added.
Mr Sidhu’s lawyer, Aamer Anwar, said there had been “no sufficiency” for a dangerous driving charge as his client’s car had skidded, causing him to crash.
Mr Anwar said the driver had been unable to provide a roadside test due to his asthma but had agreed to attend a police station to give a specimen.
He added: “The police attended at the time, Mr Sidhu was in shock. The police requested Mr Sidhu to provide a specimen of breath as is the norm following an accident.
“Mr Sidhu has asthma and he was unable to provide the breath test. The officers took him to the police station, he agreed to provide a breath specimen at the police station, unfortunately the machine wasn’t working so that was not his fault.
“He did provide a urine sample that showed he was not over the limit.”
However, Mr Anwar said the requirements of the road traffic act meant the driver was “not able to provide enough basis for his refusal of the breath test, despite the fact he had asthma”.
He said his client had been found guilty on a “technical basis”. The lawyer added Mr Sidhu does not drink alcohol, has no previous convictions and “is the sole provider for his family”.
“The loss of the licence would be detrimental to him and his family,” Mr Anwar said.
Cllr Alex Wilson, who chairs the licensing committee, asked why the driver had not notified the licensing department of his conviction. Mr Anwar said there had been “confusion” on Mr Sidhu’s part as to whether he needed to report the offence.
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