Two women awarded significant damages by Uber in first case of its kind in UK after claiming sexual

It's been revealed in the Mail Online that two women who claimed that they had been sexually assaulted by an Uber driver have received damages from the company. The landmark payout is the first of its kind in the UK.

The women both ordered cars via the Uber app after nights out in Leeds in December 2015, with the two alleged assaults a week apart. 

The women each made a seperate police report alleging that their driver, Naveed Iqbal, had sexually assaulted them.

It was then discovered after an investigation by the council that Iqbal, who did hold a cab licence, had used his brother's Uber login details to gain access to the app. Subsequently both women took legal action, with their representatives arguing that Uber were liable in relation to the alleged assaults, as they had a duty of care to protect passengers.  Uber have now agreed to an undisclosed out of court settlement with both of the women, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind in the UK. The first woman claimed that she had been groped twice on 6 December 2015, after an evening out celebrating her birthday.  The second woman booked an Uber on 13 December 2015 after a night out with friends, and claimed during the journey the driver started rubbing her leg before trying to kiss her and force her to engage in a sex act. Emma Crowther, the two victims’ legal representative, stated that had Uber investigated the allegations made by the first client properly, it would have been highly likely that the driver would not have been able to commit the second alleged assault a week later. As a result of the council investigation, Iqbal had his licence revoked despite no criminal charges being brought against him.

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