Colin Stiles v Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors

Facts

The appellant, Mr Colin Stiles, was training to become an Approved Driving Instructor with the driving school Bill Plant, which sponsored him. On 16 April 2025 he attended a football match with his 19-year-old son, having drunk between five and eight pints of lager. On a train at Paddington Station his son was involved in an altercation with another passenger, and the two of them were ejected. On the platform security guards pushed his son towards the railings and one blocked the appellant from reaching him; the appellant punched that security guard. The police attended, and he was forced to the floor and handcuffed. As he was escorted away he said a security guard tried to trip him and, while recovering his balance, he kicked a police officer. He was detained overnight and charged with assaulting an emergency worker and common assault. In October 2025 he pleaded guilty to both charges, having viewed the video evidence and taken advice from his solicitor, and paid around £1,300 including £700 compensation to the police officer and £200 to the security guard. He disclosed the convictions to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency of his own accord. On 11 February 2026 the Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors refused his application for a trainee licence on the ground that he was not a fit and proper person, and he appealed.