SHAME SHAME DOUGLAS TAXI DRIVER WHO INDECENTLY ASSAULTED PASSENGER JAILED FOR SIX MONTHS
A Douglas taxi driver who locked a passenger in his car before in- decently assaulting her has been jailed for six months. Jabrane Moutiq, 40, attacked the woman in his taxi after picking her up late at night in January 2023. He was driving her home but continued to drive on when she asked him to stop and let her out. He then pulled into a car park, locked the doors and indecently assaulted her. Douglas Courthouse heard the cabbie had touched her inappropriately and forced her to kiss him. Moutiq was arrested the following
day and denied the offences. He was found guilty after a trial at Douglas Courthouse late last year. Sending him to prison, High Bailiff James Brooks said he had abused his “trust as a taxi driver”. Moutiq was placed on the sex offenders’ register for seven years. The court heard Moutiq had been a taxi driver on the island for more than eight years. In a victim impact statement, the woman said the incident had left her “completely broken”. Prosecutors said the victim was a lone, single female and his actions were a clear “abuse of trust”.
Mr Brooks said while there was no indication of remorse by Moutiq, the voluntary surrendering of his licence had demonstrated “some acceptance” of what he had done. While his defence advocate had argued for a suspended sentence with supervision, Mr Brooks said he would not be doing his “public duty” if he did not sentence the 40-year-old to immediate custody. He said Moutiq’s actions had amounted to a “gross breach” of the trust placed in him as a taxi driver, and the victim had suffered “significant psychological harm” as a result of the “terrifying” incident.
SUSPENDED SENTENCE FOR DEWSBURY CABBIE WHO USED LICENCE FOUND IN CAB TO DODGE FINE
A “silly” taxi driver tried to pin a speeding fine on an 18-year-old girl who had left her licence in the back of a cab. Umar Sattar, 35, had been caught speeding at 48mph in a 40mph zone whilst driving a fare
to
Wakefield Station in November. He received a notice of intended prosecution but identified the driver as Alice Brown, with a Heckmondwike address. Prosecutor Joseph Bell told Leeds Crown Court on 20 February: “The court papers were sent but she didn’t live there and didn’t get them. She was fined £220 at Bradford Magistrates’ Court as well as a victim surcharge and costs. “It wasn’t until June last year when she was chased about the money owed that she found out.” Ms Brown told her mum, who
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spoke to the court and the issue was chased up. It was confirmed that Sattar, from Dewsbury, was the driver through records held by the taxi office. The court heard that Ms Brown had left her provisional driving licence in a taxi in February 2022 and it had been “circulating” around the taxi community since. Mr Bell said: “On the 5 July last year Mr Sattar was interviewed and said he’d done it and already had six points on his licence and didn’t want anymore. He spoke to someone who said he could sort it out for him and gave them the NIP. He refused to name who it was. “He said he was sorry and was being silly and just wanted to keep his taxi licence.” Sattar went on to admit perverting the course of justice.
Judge Stubbs KC said Ms Brown’s identity had been used for another NIP. He said: “It [the licence] was used for a protracted amount of time and it has the hallmarks of being sophisticated and planned.” Mr Bell said: “The conviction [against Ms Brown] has been overturned.”
Mitigating, Samuel Panniah told the court: “The defendant - by his own actions - has created a situation where this is going to be a significantly more punitive than if he just owned up.” The judge handed Sattar a sen- tence of ten months suspended for a year. He must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £500. He said: “Ms Brown’s licence had circulated in the taxi
community...She had a provisional
licence...You got away Scott free.”
MARCH 2024 PHTM
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