A CABBIE from Bradford has been convicted of refusing to take a blind passenger with their guide dog.

Shahid Mehboob,of Paternoster Lane, off Great Horton Road, Bradford, who was working for Woods Taxis in Salendine Nook at the time, was caught in July during an operation led by Kirklees Council's licensing officers along with police officers.

Kirklees magistrates heard that Mehboob, who is licensed by Rossendale Council as a hackney carriage driver, but was operating outside of the district as a private hire driver, was dispatched to pick up a customer from the Cedar Court Hotel at Ainley Top.

When he arrived and saw the guide dog, Mehboob refused to take the passenger saying he was scared of dogs, and even when it was pointed out to him that it was a guide dog, he still said no.

Mehboob did not attend court but in his absence, his solicitor entered a guilty plea for failing to carry out a booking for a disabled person accompanied by an assistance dog.

Magistrates ordered Mehboob to pay a £50 fine, £276 prosecution costs, a £150 court charge and a £20 victim surcharge.