Haulier had 'pattern of offences'
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Geoffrey Bayles (Geoff Bayles Transport)
• Geoffrey Bayles, trading as Geoff Bayles Transport, has lost his appeal to the Transport Tribunal against the decision of the North Eastern LA to revoke his standard operator's licence for two vehicles on the grounds that he was no longer of good repute and directing that he shall not apply for an 0-licence for one year.
Bayles appealed on the grounds that the orders were too severe, but the Tribunal, in a written judgment , says he was unable to support his appeal by pointing to any misdirection by the LA in respect of law or evidence, and the LA's decisions were fully justified.
The operator was called by the LA to a public inquiry after being sentenced to six months' imprisonment, concurrent and suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to three offences. These were making a false vehicle excise licence, and using it, contrary to the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981; and receiving a stolen excise licence contrary to the Theft Act 1968. At the public inquiry he explained his offences by saying that money had been rather slow coming in and when the one vehicle he was operating needed an excise licence at the end of January 1986 he was approached by an unknown man at a motorway service station and offered two tax discs, which he bought. Bayles said he was of previous good character and succumbed to temptation without realising the seriousness of what he was doing.
Questioned by the LA, Bayles said he had one previous conviction for a false tachograph record. The LA learned that Bayles had also been fined £125 for using a vehicle without an excise licence. At the resumed inquiry, he told the LA he had not revealed that offence because he did not think it relevant.
In giving his decision, the LA had said: "Now one offence may be excusable, but this pattern of offences does paint a picture in my mind of someone who is not prepared to abide by the law..."