'Boxer' Moran fined after appearing in court over expired taxi licences

A former Government Minister has been fined €300, and instructed to pay €500 in costs, after he pleaded guilty to operating his taxi business with licences that had expired earlier this year.

Kevin 'Boxer' Moran (54), of Cornamagh, Athlone, appeared before last Wednesday's sitting of Athlone District Court on foot of three summonses issued on behalf of the National Transport Authority.

John Fagan of Main Street, Glasson, who, the court was told, was a part-time employee of Mr Moran's A1 Cabs taxi company, was also before the court on two related summonses

However, at the outset of the hearing, it was stated that Mr Moran would be pleading guilty to his summonses and, on that basis, the charges against Mr Fagan were withdrawn.

An inspector for the National Transport Authority (NTA) gave evidence of speaking to Mr Moran while he was in a vehicle bearing a taxi sign in Athlone on March 2 last.

The court was told that the taxi licence for this vehicle had expired six weeks earlier, on January 15.

Mr Moran was not picking up a fare at the time but was on his way to get the taxi sign on the vehicle repaired, the court heard.

The taxi licence for this vehicle was renewed nine days after Mr Moran was stopped by the inspector.

Also on March 2, a taxi with a passenger on board and the meter running was observed being driven by John Fagan at Connaught Street, Athlone. The NTA inspector approached the vehicle and found that its taxi licence had expired two weeks earlier, on February 16.

The court was told that when Mr Fagan was asked which company had dispatched him for the fare, he replied, "the boss man, A1 Cabs".

When asked who owned the taxi, he replied, "Kevin 'Boxer' Moran".

The licence for this vehicle was renewed five days later, on March 7, the court was told.

Mr Moran admitted driving a vehicle with a taxi sign and identification while it was not licensed, and being the owner of a vehicle that was being driven as a taxi and was not licensed, on March 2.

He also pleaded guilty to a third charge of operating as a taxi dispatch operator without holding the required dispatch operator's licence from the NTA.

Solicitor Padraig Quinn, representing the defendant, told the court the licences which had expired were licences for vehicles and that Mr Moran himself required an SPSV licence to operate as a taxi driver, which he did have and which was valid.

Mr Quinn also outlined how there were a number of steps and documents required when renewing the taxi vehicle licence, such as an NCT, a suitability test, logbook, evidence of insurance, evidence of driving licence, and tax clearance cert.

He said the fact that Mr Moran was able to renew the licences so soon after March 2 showed he had already been "well down the road" towards getting them renewed when he was stopped on the date in question.

The defendant had been involved with his family taxi business, A1 Cabs, for 34 years and up to this point he had "never come to any adverse notice" of the regulator or its predecessor during those 34 years, the court was told.

He had no previous convictions of any kind and had never been before the court as a defendant until last week.

Mr Quinn said that, at its height, A1 Cabs would have had seven vehicles on the road but that more recently, due to the pandemic, Mr Moran had been the company's only full-time employee.

The offences before the court were "more an administrative oversight than anything intentional or deliberate," the solicitor said.

He added that Mr Moran was a married father of two who had become active in politics after first getting involved in his local community, and had gone on to serve as a TD and a Junior Minister.

His status as a well-known political figure meant the case was going to "attract a profile that it might not otherwise receive," Mr Quinn said.

The solicitor also spoke of the contribution made by Mr Moran during previous flooding crises in Athlone, saying he had "literally manned the barricades himself on a 24/7 basis," in order to prevent homes from flooding.

"I would submit that that is more a measure of the man than these matters before the court," said Mr Quinn.

Judge John Brennan noted the plea in mitigation put forward by Mr Quinn.

"I am aware of (Mr Moran's) public service, but that's not a matter for this court, in dealing with these charges, other than that he is clearly a hard-working man," said the judge.

He said licensing issues were "serious" and needed to be complied with, but he was also conscious that taxi businesses had gone through a difficult period in recent years due to the pandemic.

Judge Brennan fined Mr Moran €300 on one of the summonses, and applied the probation act in relation to the others.

An order for €500 in costs against the defendant was sought by the NTA, and the court was told that this sum had been agreed.