Man handed Glasgow PHV licence despite failing to disclose drugs conviction

A man in Glasgow who failed to disclose a drugs conviction on his application to drive a private hire vehicle (PHV), has been granted a restricted one-year licence with a "severe warning" by the Glasgow Licensing Committee.

This decision was made despite an objection from Police Scotland.

During the hearing the driver, Mr Saad Raja, expressed remorse for his actions and claimed to have undergone significant personal changes. According to STV, he stated: "I've changed my environment. I'm no longer involved with cannabis or any drugs at all."

A police representative informed the councillors that routine checks had revealed Raja's previous conviction, which was not disclosed in his application. The search of his residence in 2015 had yielded drug paraphernalia and over £6,000 in cash.

Approximately 143 grams of cannabis were also discovered. As a result, Raja was fined nearly £500 and issued a confiscation order amounting to approximately £2,000.

It was further revealed during the proceedings that Raja had previously had his application for a PHV licence rejected in 2019.

In his defence, Raja explained that he did not disclose the conviction due to a lack of specific dates, stating: "If I knew the exact dates, then I would have."

The Glasgow Licensing Committee ultimately decided to grant Raja a restricted one-year licence, highlighting the severity of their warning to him.

Given the opportunity to work as a private hire driver, Raja plans to work on the Uber platform.