Man from Gloucester who sexually assaulted a woman is sentenced

A 49-year-old man from Gloucester who sexually assaulted a woman has been sentenced.

Taranjit Singh, also known as Tony, was working as a taxi driver when he picked up a woman and instead of taking her home, drove her to an industrial estate and sexually assaulted her.

Singh was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault following a trial at Gloucester Crown Court on 30 July. He has now been banned from being a taxi driver for 10 years.

The court heard how the victim had ordered cars through the company Singh worked for on a number of occasions and he had been her taxi driver.

During a previous cab ride the victim had taken with him, Singh had given her his personal mobile number.

In the early hours one morning in November 2021, the victim sent Singh a message and asked him 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, which was a breach of his licence conditions.

After Singh had picked up the woman, who was aged in her 20s at the time, she fell asleep in the vehicle. He then drove to an industrial estate, and the victim awoke to find Singh digitally penetrating her vagina and touching her breast.

She 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 victim had secretly recorded on her phone when she had previously been a passenger in Singh's taxi. In one of the videos Singh could be heard asking the victim if he could touch her and engage in sexual activity with her, and she responded by saying no.

Singh, of Estcourt Close in Gloucester, 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.

On 18 October, Singh was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court to 24 months in prison, suspended for two years.

He must also have his name added to the Sex Offenders' Register for the next ten years and he was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which prohibits him from working or acting as a taxi driver or other paid driver of people in any vehicle for the next ten 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.

Following the sentencing, the victim said in a statement: "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 said: "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."

If you have experienced rape, sexual assault or abuse, and wish to report the crime, contact police by calling 101 or 999 in the case of an emergency. You can also report sexual offences online here: https://www.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/v1/rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences/

Gloucestershire Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre support women dealing with the effects of rape and sexual abuse. For more information visit their website www.glosrasac.org/