Gambling Debt to ‘Paramilitary’ Group Forces Irish Taxi Driver to Steal

A Belfast taxi driver is head to jailhouse for stealing from his passengers. Gareth Taggart claims he had no choice, as a “paramilitary” loansharking chemical group forced his mitt to treat his outstanding gaming debt.

Getting drunk inwards Ireland came with an additional cost for those who traveled in Gareth Taggart’s taxi. He is at present on his right smart to prison for “outrageous fraud,” at present that a judicature try has set an fair to middling punishment.

From Feb 2018 to July 2019, according to the Belfast Telegraph, Taggart embarked on a missionary work to steal bank building card data from drunken passengers who climbed into his taxi. When inputting the card’s private four-digit code, he memorized the number. Taggart managed to keep the cards and so used them to pull back cash at ATMs.

Somehow, either because he had an exceedingly friendly human face or the passengers were too drunk to cognize what was happening, Taggart kept upward the charade. He pulled it sour 60 times against 50 passengers and pocketed almost £26,800 (US$34,907).

At the time, per his account, Taggart had an unpaid debt with a “paramilitary” loansharking group. In parliamentary procedure to determine his debt without losing any limbs, he had to skimmed the cards and pilfer the bank accounts, per the group’s orders. In some instances, he simply handed o'er the cards to someone in the group to hold out the theft.

Caught inward the Act

Ultimately, I of the passengers was sober sufficiency to ring come out the mistaken cab driver. In July 2019, police force arrested him as they reinforced their case. However, according to Taggart, he had no more choice. He was aught more than an unwilling hock inwards a large felon enterprise.

Initially, Taggart wasn’t implicated as locals began finding money missing from their cant accounts. An investigation began, and separately, the victims admitted that all they could retrieve was beingness out on the town, enjoying a few pints. Some, however, became so inebriated that they couldn’t explain how they returned home.

Eventually, the investigating turned to the cab driver. He was consistently workings when the incidents happened and was caught red-handed.

On July 14, 2019, constabulary caught upward with him at ace of the ATMs where illegal withdrawals were recorded. On him, they found IV stolen bank building cards and cash.

Some of the banks get stepped upward and reimbursed their customers for their losses. Others, however, didn’t incur the same treatment, and could only if write sour the experience as a costly dark out drinking.

Judge Not Swayed

In addition to seeking leniency because he didn’t need to participate, Taggart tried to employment the play dupe card. His lawyer hoped that his undischarged debt to the loan sharks, to which he reportedly ease owes £8,000 (US$10,420), the fact that he “lost everything,” and the want of a outlaw register would sway the court.

Judge Richard Henry Graham Greene QC of the capital of Northern Ireland Crown Court didn’t buy the call for for pity. He asserted that Taggart took parting willingly, taking vantage of “intoxicated and vulnerable” individuals who were gentle prey.

Greene added that Taggart had maltreated his spatial relation of trustingness and “fleeced” his passengers. Therefore, a prison house condemn was required. He will expend sevener months locked upwardly and septet months on probation following his release.