Former prisoner wins an 0-licence
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A company whose managing director got his CPC while serving a prison sentence, and who has the backing of the Prince's Trust, has obtained an international 0-licence at a Birmingham public inquiry.
Belgravia Freight of Stafford had applied for a new licence for two vehicles and two trailers based at Market Drayton. In May 1998 managing director Neil Harding was given a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty at Stafford Crown Court to one count of affray, two counts of inflicting grievous bodily harm and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
For the company, Christopher Lee said that the offences arose from one incident of public dis
order at a public house on New Year's Eve 1996.
West Midland Traffic Commissioner David Dixon said that he had been concerned about the failure to declare the convictions in the application form. However, the Prince's Trust had pointed out in a letter that the question in the application form could be interpreted in different ways. It asked whether there had been any convictions that must be notified to the TC but did not say what must be notified.
Harding, who has been operating for the last six months under interim authority, said that his family had always been in haulage and if the licence was granted he would employ his brother to drive the second vehicle. He hoped eventually to run about 20 vehicles. He had chosen Continental work to take advantage of the cheaper fuel.