"it has had a major long-term effect on me mentally."
Taxi driver Taranjit Singh received a suspended sentence after he sexually assaulted a woman.
Gloucester Crown Court heard how the victim ordered cars through the company worked for and he had been her taxi driver.
During a previous cab ride, Singh had given her his mobile number.
In the early hours of one morning in November 2021, the woman messaged Singh to pick her up from Gloucester and take her to the Tewkesbury area.
Despite being off duty and at home, Singh agreed to take the fare, breaching his licence conditions.
Singh picked up the woman and she later fell asleep in the cab.
Instead of taking her home, he drove to an industrial estate.
She awoke to find Singh sexually assaulting the woman and touching her breast.
The woman asked Singh to stop and tried to push his arm away but he continued to sexually assault her, telling her that she was enjoying it.
The court was shown videos that the woman had secretly recorded when she had previously been a passenger in Singh’s taxi.
In one video, Singh could be heard asking if he could touch her and engage in sexual activity with her. She told him no.
Singh denied sexually assaulting the woman and claimed he may have accidentally touched her breast as he was putting her seatbelt on for her. He also said the victim had taken his hand and put it inside her trousers.
Following a trial, the 49-year-old was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault.
Singh was sentenced to 24 months in prison, suspended for two years.
He was also added to the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years. He was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, banning him from being a taxi driver for 10 years.
The judge ordered Singh to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and undertake a rehabilitation programme for up to 30 days, and to pay £4,380 in prosecution fees.
In a statement, the victim said: “While this incident only lasted a short time that night, it has had a major long-term effect on me mentally.
“I would urge anyone who has been through similar to contact the police.
“I felt heard, seen and believed, and I had great support throughout the process.
“I’m so glad I reported to hopefully help stop the same happening to others.”
Detective Constable Annabel Brittain added:
“The victim is to be commended for reporting this distressing incident as, by having the strength to support the investigation, she has helped keep others safe while achieving justice for herself.
“As she read out her victim impact statement to the court, it was clear how much she has been affected by what happened, and I am extremely glad she says she has felt well supported by police throughout.
“I hope this conviction is reassurance to others that when such concerning incidents are reported, we will be as thorough and relentless as possible in securing all available evidence to bring offenders to justice.”
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