Glasgow taxi driver who kicked child and threw milkshake at them loses licence bid

A taxi driver who kicked a child and threw a milkshake at them has lost his bid to secure a new licence.

Mohammad Anwar’s application to renew his taxi driver’s licence was rejected by Glasgow’s licensing committee following an objection by Police Scotland.

An officer told councillors that Mr Anwar had been convicted in February last year of two assault charges. He was ordered to carry out 70 hours of unpaid work.

The committee heard he had kicked the child on the buttocks and thrown liquid at them. The officer later clarified it had been a milkshake.

Police Scotland argued the applicant was “not a fit and proper person to be the holder of a licence” as a result of the offences.

Mr Anwar said he had lost his temper. Cllr Sean Ferguson, SNP, who was chairing the committee, asked how the applicant would react if a customer was “aggravating”, said something offensive or tried to get under his skin.

“What assurances can you give the committee that you’re not going to throw a milkshake on your customers?

Mr Anwar responded: “I’ve been driving [taxis] for 12 years, I don’t think there has ever been a complaint against me.”

He said he would call the police if there was an incident.

Cllr Ferguson said it was a “red flag” that Mr Anwar had not informed the council of his conviction. He added: “I’m not hearing much in the way of contrition or that you’re sorry here.”

The committee decided to refuse the application.