A taxi driver who ran over a pensioner and was caught speeding has been granted a new licence by Moray Council.
Fiona Gibbs knocked down a woman in Buckie, and was later caught driving along the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road at 87mph.
The cabbie appeared before the local authority’s licensing committee yesterday, after police flagged concerns about her application to renew her permit.
Councillors heard that Ms Gibbs had been on her way to collect a customer when her taxi collided with a pensioner on Buckie’s Milton Drive in October 2013.
The woman suffered a broken bone in her left knee and severe bruising.
Sergeant Gavin Jardine said: “The lady stepped off the kerb, and was struck by a taxi Ms Gibbs was driving.
“She was on the wrong side of the carriageway, cutting across the corner, which caused the collision.
“There was no reason to explain why Ms Gibbs would not have seen the pedestrian.”
The incident happened shortly after Ms Gibbs became a licenced cabbie.
When she appeared in court the following April, she was issued with six penalty points and fined £500.
Her second offence took place on Tuesday, March 15, this year.
Police carrying out speed checks on the A96 clocked her taxi travelling at 87mph in a 60mph zone.
The incident took place between Huntly and Inverurie, on the crawler lane stretch near Wedderburn.
Ms Gibbs was later fined £250 and had her licence endorsed with four penalty points.
She said she accelerated to ensure she was able to overtake a car before the crawler lane ended.
Ms Gibbs said: “I put my foot down because I was scared of ending up in an accident.”
Yesterday, Forres councillor Aaron Mclean tried to persuade his colleagues that Ms Gibbs was “not fit” to hold a taxi driver’s licence.
But his motion to refuse her application received no backers, and Keith and Cullen member Ron Shepherd’s
recommendation that it be granted was passed.
Moray Council leader, Stewart Cree, added the caveat that the licence only be renewed for one year.
After the meeting, Ms Gibbs said: “I haven’t slept for weeks worrying about this and I’ve lost more than a stone in weight, I thought I was going to lose my job.
“I’m usually a very safe driver, so this was a difficult position to be in.”
Councillors raised concerns that police had not asked the authority to organise a suspension hearing after Ms Gibbs struck the pensioner.
Sgt Jardine said he could not explain why the matter had not been brought to the council’s attention.
Had it been reported, it is likely Ms Gibbs would have faced a hearing to determine her fitness to drive taxis.
Earlier this week, cabbie Colin Jones was fined £500 and given six penalty points after mowing down Elgin dad Richard Nutland.
Mr Nutland spent seven months in a coma following the accident last April, and is still receiving round-the-clock care in hospital.
Jones was found guilty of careless driving following a trial at the town’s sheriff court.
Yesterday, police were unable to confirm whether details of the incident would be reported to the council so a suspension hearing could be convened.
