A remorseless Indian taxi driver has been jailed for a year for sexually assaulting a woman he lured into his cab in Tasmania during his first month on the job.
Satpal Singh, 37, was found guilty of indecent assault over the September 2021 incident and jailed for 12 months with a three-month non-parole period. After serving his sentence he will likely be deported, leaving behind his wife, who on a student visa, and their two children, Pulse Tasmania reported.
The Supreme Court of Tasmania heard Singh pulled up beside his victim as she was walking him after a night out and offered her a free ride. When she eventually accepted he put his hand on her knee and asked if she wanted a massage.
He then drove past her street, ignored her requests to pull over, and asked if he could touch her “boobs”, and whether she had a boyfriend.
As the woman tried to call police he told her she owed him something for the free ride, and then aggressively groped her and tried to put his hands under her shirt and bra.
When she tried to escape Singh grabbed her wrists but she managed to get away.
Acting Justice Brian Martin found that Singh told “blatantly obvious” lies during the trial, and described some of his responses to questions as “deflective” and “evasive”.
“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, Acting Justice Martin said, and noted he has abused the trust placed in him by his victim.
Singh’s victim said in an impact statement she now panics when she sees a taxi, and that the assault destroyed her sense of security, confidence and independence. She also attempted suicide.
“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.”
Acting Justice Martin found that Singh had not accepted responsibility for the attack and had shown no evidence of remorse, and ordered Singh to pay a $1,000 bond for a two-year good behaviour order.
Singh’s temporary visa is under review.
Header image: Supreme Court of Tasmania (Gary Houston, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
