Fareham Borough Council's licensing panel has taken no action against a private hire driver, referred to only as Mr S, and found him a fit and proper person to hold a private hire driver's licence. The case concerned his failure to declare a previous licence with Havant Borough Council, and his failure to declare that Havant had suspended and revoked it over behaviour that included sexual contact with a vulnerable passenger. The hearing was at 10am on 13 October 2026, in the Collingwood Room at the Civic Offices. No members of the public or press were in attendance. Licensing panel minutes
What Mr S told the panel
Mr S told the panel he had disclosed an allegation of sexual assault on his pre-application paperwork when he applied in 2019, that he had not tried to hide the Havant licence, and that he had discussed it with licensing officers at the time. His DBS disclosure then included the allegation and his status as a private hire driver. He could not remember completing the Fareham form seven years later, and assumed he had failed to read the question properly or had misunderstood the question that asked directly about a previous licence. He expressed regret for the behaviour behind the revocation, acknowledged that it was a mistake and should not have happened, and described the contact as consensual, while accepting that he should not have let it happen.
Why no action was taken
The written reasons record that he has been a driver for Fareham since 2019, without concern or complaint, and note that he will have undertaken recent and regular safeguarding training.
Those reasons refer to Institute of Licensing guidance on behaviour that falls short of a criminal offence but can point to something more serious. The examples are asking a passenger for contact or social media details, asking personal or intimate questions, inappropriate physical contact or invading a passenger's personal space, and inappropriate conversation. This carries more weight where the passenger is alone and vulnerable. Except in the most serious cases, a driver should first be given a warning, sent on refresher safeguarding training where appropriate, and told how the behaviour may be perceived by a vulnerable passenger. If the behaviour is repeated and, on the balance of probability, predatory, an applicant should not be licensed.
The evidence before the panel, including Mr S's own account and the lack of records held by Fareham Borough Council, did not show behaviour that was predatory or repeated.
A form completed seven years ago is difficult to remember. The concern that remains is that he did not answer a simple question accurately, and that he must take responsibility for giving the council accurate information at all times. He had not tried to conceal the allegation. With no evidence from licensing to rebut his recollection that the information was on his DBS record, the opportunity to establish more about his behaviour had been there at the time.
No action is to be taken against his licence at this time. Any future concern about his behaviour towards passengers will be relevant and will be considered. He was warned to provide accurate and timely information to Fareham Borough Council.
A licence for Mr E
The same morning the panel granted a private hire driver's licence to an applicant referred to as Mr E, who could not obtain a certificate of good conduct from Afghanistan. He was born there, fled for political reasons and claimed asylum in the UK. His travel documents prevent him from travelling to Afghanistan, and he cannot obtain the certificate from within the UK, so the council has no criminal history for the period before 2014, when he moved here. He was under 18 on arrival, and his adult life has been spent in the UK. There are no records on his DBS disclosure or his DVLA licence, and no other risk factors were identified. Exceptional reasons were found to depart from council policy, and the application was approved. He has a statutory right of appeal to the magistrates' court within 21 days of formal notice.
Portsmouth News reported both decisions on 23 October 2026. Taxi driver keeps licence despite sexual contact with passenger