And another ones at it.
TAXI DRIVER'S SEX ASSAULT ON PASSENGER
Cleethorpes taxi driver Paul Emerson could be jailed after being convicted of sexually assaulting a female passenger. He told her she had "nice legs" before intimately touching her, Grimsby Crown Court heard. Emerson (28), of Hinkler Street, denied sexually assaulting the woman on September 24, but was convicted by a jury after a trial.
Simon Hirst, prosecuting, said the woman went to her boyfriend's home after a night out in Grimsby pubs and stayed there until 4am, when she telephoned Links Taxis for a cab to work. Emerson arrived and she got in the taxi. Early on in the journey, Emerson told her she had "nice legs" and, later on, made an indecent suggestion to her. He told her: "It will save you the cost of the taxi fare."
She refused but, a short time later, Emerson stopped the taxi, indecently exposed himself and started committing a sex act. "While doing that, he was touching her leg and rubbing his hands up and down," said Mr Hirst. "She screamed and it seemed to stop what was going on."
The court heard that Emerson later told police he remembered the taxi journey but was not sure whether he told the woman she had nice legs. He claimed "nothing at all" actually happened and denied making any sexual suggestion. Judge Jane Shipley adjourned sentence for reports but warned Emerson that all options, including prison, were open. Emerson was released on bail until the next hearing at Sheffield Crown Court.
After the case, Links Taxis bosses declined to comment. A North East Lincolnshire Council spokesman said the case would almost certainly be referred to the hackney carriage sub-committee. Drivers had to declare convictions within seven days and when licences came up for renewal. Police checks were made every three years.
