A Bromley man has been banned from driving after posing as a minicab driver and inviting two women into his car.

Rajalingham Paheerathan, 35, was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on July 16.

Paheerathan was spotted by Transport for London (TfL) officers in Uxbridge High Road last year having a conversation with a woman before letting her and friend into his vehicle.

The TfL officers soon established the journey was not pre-booked and Paheerathan was illegally touting for trade.

He pleaded guilty to plying for hire and having no operator licence and was ordered to pay £370 in fines and court costs, and was also disqualified from the road for three months.

Director of Enforcement and On Street Operations at TfL Steve Burton said: "This demonstrates that we take illegal touting and other illegal private hire activities extremely seriously.

“An unbooked minicab is just a stranger’s car and these three men posed a real threat to public safety.”

The case comes as TfL continues to crackdown on “bogus and unsafe” drivers in London, with Paheerathan one of 25 successful prosecutions in the last 12 months.