Taxi driver jailed for assaulting sleeping passenger

A taxi driver in Melbourne has been sentenced to nine months in jail for indecently assaulting an unconscious passenger.

Umad Siddique assaulted the woman by touching her breast and then between her legs.

Melbourne Magistrates Court heard that the woman hailed Siddique's taxi at 5.51am on March 3 last year in Melbourne's CBD.

She had been drinking and was tired. She got into the front seat and fell asleep within two or three minutes.

According to a police report, Siddique then indecently assaulted the 20-year-old woman numerous times and covered one of three on-board security cameras during the 51 minute journey to conceal his conduct.

The woman described in a victim impact statement that since the incident she felt isolated because she had not told anyone about it, and was ashamed and worried that people would think less of her. She said she now also suffered a lot with issues with trust.

Magistrate Andrew Capell told Siddique that he took advantage of a "totally vulnerable" person and abused the trust she placed in him ad her driver, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Mr Capell said that jailing Siddique would send a message to like-minded others that such a serious breach of trust "will be treated harshly by the courts".

Siddique pleaded guilty to multiple charges of indecent assault and to two regulatory offences, including one of interfering with taxi cab equipment.

A conviction for Siddique, who has no prior convictions and a "flawless" driving record, might affect his application for Australian permanent residency.

Defence lawyer Susanna Locke told the court that Siddique, who arrived from Pakistan in 2002 to further his education, had "always treated people with the utmost respect".

This follows another incident in Sydney in April where a taxi driver was arrested for repeatedly sexually abusing a 10-year-old hearing-impaired girl who he drove to and from school, reports ABC news.

Related stories

British man stabbed by taxi driver on holiday in Ibiza

London's taxis voted "the best in the world"

Taxi driver takes passenger to the wrong country