Taxi driver found guilty of using phone

Taxi driver found guilty of using phone
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A TAXI driver who claimed she was checking the time on her mobile phone was found guilty of using the device while driving.

Clare Hazel Ann Ryan, 25, was seen holding a Nokia phone in her hand and driving along Abbotsbury Road, Weymouth, on March 6.

Dorset Police had set up a special operation to catch drivers using mobiles following the introduction of new enforcement laws, Weymouth Magistrates Court heard.

After she was pulled over, Ryan told PC Gareth Blakeham she was checking the time on her phone because the clock in her Ford Mondeo was unreliable.

Ryan, of Old Castle Road, Weymouth, denied using a mobile phone while driving.

She told magistrates: "It was because the time on the clock in my car is not always correct. I had to press the button on the phone once - and for a few seconds as it shows up the time."

Ryan, who drives for Weyline taxis, said she had both her hands on the steering wheel and the mobile in her right hand when she glanced at it.

But PC Blakeham, who gave evidence in court, said he could see Ryan's thumb hovering over the phone's buttons.

He told magistrates: "Miss Ryan said there was a discrepancy on the clock in the car.

"I checked the mobile phone time and the car clock time and they were both the same."

Magistrates decided Ryan was using the mobile phone at the time of the incident and ordered three penalty points be put on her driving licence. She was also fined £100 and ordered to pay court costs of £100.