Gloucester taxi driver handed suspended prison sentence after sexual assault conviction
A former taxi driver from Gloucester has been sentenced after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a female passenger.
Taranjit Singh, 49, also known as Tony, committed the assault in November 2021 after picking up the woman, who had regularly used his services.
Singh, who was off-duty at the time, collected the victim after she contacted him directly. Instead of taking her home, Singh drove to an industrial estate where the assault took place. The woman, in her 20s, had fallen asleep during the journey but awoke to find Singh assaulting her.
Following a trial at Gloucester Crown Court in July, Singh was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault. He denied the charges, claiming the encounter was accidental, but the jury did not accept his version of events.
On 18 October, Singh was handed a 24-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, banning him from working as a taxi or private hire driver for the next decade. Additionally, Singh was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation programme.
The court also heard that Singh had previously made inappropriate advances towards the victim, with video evidence showing him asking to engage in sexual activity, which the victim rejected.
After the sentencing, the victim urged others in similar situations to report incidents to the police, stating that she felt supported throughout the legal process and hoped to prevent further offences. 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."
