"If he is guilty, let him pay for it, but now we all have this stigma." This is what the president of the Professional Association of Taxi Drivers of Lanzarote, Leocadio Martín, says, who believes that the name of the sector has been "tainted" after a taxi driver from Tías was arrested on May 4, accused of an alleged crime of sexual abuse. A woman reported that he made "touches in the genital area without consent."
Leocadio Martín assured La Voz that a few hours after his arrest, I.R.A.A. was released and rejoined his job. The taxi driver continues to work in Tías and the association is not considering, for the moment, taking any action against him, at least until he is convicted. "He has been with the taxi for a long time and has always been highly respected by all his colleagues. That doesn't mean he's guilty or innocent," Martín said.
The president of this association received a call from the police on May 2, in which they requested information about the Auriga system. "They wanted to know where the taxis were at the time the events were reported," he said. Martín decided not to wait for the request from the Arrecife Courts and put his team to work. "We gave them all the information", he insisted.
Therefore, Martín cannot explain why the police sent a press release to the media reporting on this event, when "it is not yet known whether he is guilty or not." The president of the taxi association believes that this news has damaged the image of the sector, which "has been tainted."
Another similar event
"When they had things clear, they should have said who he is, if they have evidence. If he is guilty, let him pay for it, but now we all have this stigma, because only his initials have been provided," he said. And Martín explained that "some time ago" a similar event also occurred that almost "tarnished the image" of the taxi drivers.
"We were in a course given by the Tías City Council when suddenly some agents entered and took a colleague out, because some girls had accused him of the same thing. At the last minute they released him because nothing could be proven. That man has never recovered," lamented Leocadio Martín.
"It will cost us a lot to clean up the image of the sector, because this has done us a lot of damage," he insisted.
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