A taxi driver who sexually assaulted a female passenger during his first month on the job is likely to be deported after being sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Satpal Singh, 37, was found guilty of indecent assault for touching the breast of a 22-year-old woman he had lured into his taxi under the guise of a free ride.
The woman had been in Hobart for less than a week and was walking home to Battery Point after a Saturday night out in Salamanca in September 2021 when Singh pulled up beside her and offered her a ride.
Despite initially declining, she eventually accepted. Singh suggested she sit in the front seat, then placed his hand on her knee and asked if she wanted a massage.
After driving off, Singh went straight past her street and took a longer route along Sandy Bay Road to Long Beach, ignoring her repeated requests to pull over.
Along the way, he asked invasive sexual questions, including whether she had a boyfriend and if he could touch “her boobs”.
At the beach, the victim discreetly tried to contact police while Singh said the ride was free but that she owed him something.
He then aggressively placed his hands on the woman, attempting to get them under her shirt and bra as she pushed him away.
The assault ended when the victim undid her seatbelt and tried to leave. Singh grabbed her wrists to stop her, but she managed to escape and walk away.
Acting Justice Brian Martin said Singh “took advantage” of his position as a taxi driver and “abused the trust” placed in him.
“You used your position to entice a vulnerable young person into your taxi at 4:30am and you did so with the possibility of a sexual encounter in mind,” he said.
The judge also described Singh’s response to difficult questions throughout the trial as “evasive” and “deflective”, with some of his lies being “blatantly obvious”.
In her victim impact statement, the woman described how the assault destroyed her confidence, independence and sense of security. She said she now experiences “waves of panic” at the sight of taxis.
“As she put it, she found herself spiraling into a dark and overwhelming despair and she was consumed by feelings of shame and guilt, questioning every decision she made that morning,” Acting Justice Martin said.
“Despite knowing, deep down, that she was not to blame, the victim was experiencing, as she put it, toxic guilt and, in her darkest moment, she attempted to take her own life, believing she could no longer bear the pain or the shame.”
Singh will serve three months behind bars, with the remaining nine months suspended. He must also pay a $1,000 bond as part of a two-year good behaviour order.
His temporary visa is under review and he is likely to be deported, leaving behind his wife, who is on a student visa, and their two children.
“As to you future prospects, you have not accepted responsibility for your conduct, you pleaded not guilty and I have no evidence of remorse, other than the obvious distress you are experiencing and your wife if experiencing, for the situation in which you are now placed,” Acting Justice Martin said.
Help is available. Speak with someone today. Call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.
