"It's a tough job being Basingstoke's number 1 taxi driver": Secret criminal life of failed businessman

Matthew Temple, from Basingstoke, was once a director of Eastleigh-registered firm, Order of Service Online, and owned a £420,000 detached home in Old Basing.

But after a major creditor went bankrupt, the 46-year-old's business fell into the red and was dissolved in 2016, three years after its creation.

Seeking a new line of work, Temple began working as a taxi driver for Alpha Taxis in Basingstoke.

It was during this time that Temple began involved in the G 423 county lines drug network, founded by Jeffrey Zani and Louis Robinson-Ventour.

Their illicit business saw cocaine and heroin shipped from Hounslow, west London, into Basingstoke.

The court heard Temple played a pivotal role, using his job as a taxi driver to ferry around drug barons around the town.

Temple boasted about being Basingstoke's number one taxi driver

In his own words read out in court he boasted about being Basingstoke's "number one taxi driver".

In a text messages written in September 2018, Temple wrote: "I'm only out working, doing what I do best. Taking Basingstoke's high rollers, drug dealers, ex-convicts and hood rats where they need to go. LOL.

"It's a tough job being Basingstoke's number one taxi driver."

The definition of a 'hood rat' according to Urban Dictionary is a person who "lives and exhibits attitudes of inner city life".

Collins Dictionary states the meaning is a US slang term, meaning "a young promiscuous woman from an impoverished urban area".

Temple was not unknown to the police.

Read more: Drugs runner found with loaded sawn-off shotgun jailed 

Court records showed he clocked up a number of driving offences between 2016 and 2019 and was disqualified from driving but failed to notify his employer, continuing to work as a taxi driver.

In April 2016, he was caught speeding in his taxi on Kingsclere Road. He was fined £440 and five points were added to his licence.

Temple was forced to sell his £420,000 home in Old Basing after his firm dissolved

In July 2016, again in his taxi, he was caught driving at 83mph on the A303 near Weyhill, 13mph above the 70mph speed limit.

In January 2017, he was fined £660 with a further six points added to his licence for driving offences a few months prior.

And in May 2019, he was caught driving his taxi in Bunnian Place with cocaine in his system.

By November 2019, Temple was in prison after his criminal life caught up with him.

Temple's background was brought to the fore last week as he appeared at Winchester Crown Court for his role in a county lines network operating in Basingstoke.

Temple's taxi was a Skoda Rapid (stock image/ credit: Wikicommons)

The court heard how Temple was battling an addiction with crack cocaine and had fallen into working for the drugs network after his business went bust.

The judge was told how Temple had to sell his home, a four-bed detached property in Old Basing, in December 2018.

Read more: Three jailed for Popley county lines drug network 

As well as being a taxi driver, Temple was also involved with a football team in Popley where he was paid partly in cash and partly in crack cocaine.

Judge Andrew Barnett sentenced Temple to four years and eight months at a court hearing on Thursday.

He was also given an additional four months for driving while disqualified, to be served concurrently.

Pictured:Matthew James Temple, from Basingstoke

Temple was sentenced alongside Jeffrey Zani and Louis Robinson-Ventour. 

Summing up, Judge Barnett said that the trio "must bear the condemnation of society".

He said: "This is a conspiracy which was extensive and professionally run and it operated over a period of at least eight months that I have heard about and a great number of people that were involved with it.

"The main two and founding fathers are not before the court and they are undoubtedly responsible for setting it up and getting you three involved.

"What the three of you have to understand is that people who get involved with the distribution of class A drugs ruin their lives."

He acknowledged that prison sentences would be "especially hard" because of the Covid-19 pandemic.