Falkirk sex assault taxi driver jailed after attack on passenger, 18https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/cr ... 18-5051349A 51-year-old man has been jailed for two years and six months after being convicted of sexual crimes against a woman in the Falkirk area.
Jaswinder Singh, who was working as a taxi driver, picked up the woman and put her through the ordeal of a sex assault on February 4 last year.
He was sentenced today at Falkirk Sheriff Court.
During his trial in February, the court heard that Singh repeatedly put his hand up the young woman’s skirt and touched her intimately, all while continuing to drive his cab.
His 18-year-old passenger said she had been directed to his cab by taxi marshalls after leaving the nearby Xoxo nightclub in the early hours of the morning after a night out with friends and workmates from the care home where she worked..
She told a jury she had got into the front seat of his taxi.
The victim said: “I remember him touching my legs. I was holding my kebab. He touched me on the upper thigh. I remember just staring out of the window. He was trying to move up to where my pants were.”
Giving evidence, she said that she had “panicked” when Singh stopped the car at the end of the journey.
She said: “I remember trying to open the car door. He grabbed me, he pulled me towards him and kissed me. His tongue was in my mouth. I remember tasting cigarettes.”
Once out of the car she ran home, let herself in, and went straight to her father and stepmother's room “very upset, borderline hysterical”.
She told her father what had happened, and he phoned police.
Police were at the house in minutes.
PC Emma Fraser, 24, the first officer on the scene, said: “The victim looked as if she was completely distraught.”
Singh was arrested later and his DNA was found on the victim's inner thighs.
Singh, of Oliver Road, Falkirk, denied sexual assault.
He claimed: “It's all lies.”
But after a two day trial, a jury of eight men and seven women took less than an hour to find him guilty.
The verdict was by majority.
Gordon Addison, defence solicitor, said Singh was a first offender and had no other cases outstanding.
Sheriff Maryam Labaki revoked bail and remanded Singh in custody for reports and a risk assessment deferring sentence until today.
Ordering that Singh should be placed on the sex offenders' register, Sheriff Labaki told him: “The complainer was a vulnerable young person trusting you to deliver her home safely. You gravely breached that position of trust by sexually assaulting her.”
Prosecutor Alistair McDermid said Singh, a taxi driver for 16 years, had subjected his lone and vulnerable victim to “a terrifying and vicious sexual assault”.
Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Stewart Walton from the Forth Valley Public Protection Unit said: “Jaswinder Singth was in a position of trust when he took advantage of this woman who she had trusted to make sure she got home safely. He abused that trust and his actions are sickening.
“I would like to commend his victim for her strength in coming forward. Her information was essential in helping us build the case against Singh and our thoughts remain with her. I hope this outcome provides some sense of closure.
"If anyone has been a victim of a sexual crime, please report it. We have detectives dedicated to investigating such offences. You can be assured that you will be fully supported by officers and our partner agencies and together we will bring the perpetrator to justice."
Login
Register
FAQ
