Daft barsteward and maybe deserved revocation, but does this sort of thing really merit a prosecution and crown court jury trial?
Sentenced to six months, but at least it's suspended
Fenham taxi driver sexually assaulted vulnerable passenger in his cabhttps://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/no ... d-25438675Amer Salamat, of Fenham, kissed the passenger and touched her leg, leaving her distressedA taxi driver left a vulnerable female passenger terrified by sexually assaulting her in his car.
The woman had become separated from friends during a night out in Newcastle city centre when she got in Amer Salamat's cab and asked to be taken home to County Durham. She texted her brother during the trip saying she felt unsafe and trapped.
When he pulled up near her home, he gave her a piece of paper with his name and number on, having made it clear he liked her. The married 55-year-old then leaned over and kissed her while touching her thigh.
Salamat denied sexual assault but was found guilty by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court. As he was sentenced, the victim said in a statement read to the court: "Due to drunkenness and being alone I was in a vulnerable position. My only intention was to get home safely.
"I felt vulnerable and unsafe in the taxi and I sent a text to my brother telling him. The driver gave me attention I didn't want and he said he liked me and that he wanted to be a mentor and father figure. I've got a father and certainly don't need this from a complete stranger.
"I just wanted to pay and get away but he kept me talking and gave me a piece of paper with his name and phone number. I gave no indication I wanted this.
"He then leaned over and kissed me and touched me in a sexual manner. He had no right to do this and I was frightened. I went straight in and told my mum what happened.
"He was in a position of trust when I was in his taxi and he would easily have identified I was vulnerable. It was wrong to kiss and touch me. It left me really upset and crying when I got home.
"I now make sure I pre-book a taxi with a good well known company. I suspect I was not the first girl he did this do and I hope he's punished so he can't do it again."
Salamat, a taxi driver for more than a decade, who has no previous convictions and continues to deny the offence, picked the victim up in the early hours last September. When he went to kiss her on the lips, she turned her head, meaning it landed on her cheek while his hand touched her thigh.
Sentencing him, Judge Tim Gittins said she was in fear "something more sinister would occur" but she was allowed to leave the car.
The judge told him: "The effect on the victim was drastic and it was drastic on you as well. Your licence was quickly suspended.
"You and others like you in the trade of taxi driving who seek to take advantage of such vulnerable people need to appreciate the seriousness with which the courts take such offending."
Salamat, of Wingrove Road, Fenham, Newcastle,was sentenced to six months suspended for 18 months with rehabilitation and must sign the sex offenders register for seven years.
David Callan, defending, said of the journey before the sexual assault: "I don't accept she was alarmed. She may well have been bored stiff about the talk about religion. She thought he had gone the wrong way at one point.
"He had been a taxi driver since 2009. He is well educated, he got a degree and worked in London in a professional occupation. He has been happily married for 27 years."
References said he had done good work in his community and helped youngsters, the court heard.
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