A taxi driver faces deportation for indecently assaulting a passenger in Hobart

A taxi driver who sexually assaulted a passenger in his first month on the job will likely be deported after being sentenced to 12 months in prison.

Satpal Singh (37) was found guilty of indecent assault for touching the breasts of a 22-year-old woman whom he lured into his taxi under the guise of giving her a free ride.

The woman had been in Hobart for less than a week and was returning home to Battery Point after a Saturday evening in Salamanca in September 2021 when Singh pulled up next to her and offered to give her a lift.

Despite her initial refusal, she finally agreed. Singh suggested she sit in the front seat, then put his hand on her knee and asked if she wanted a massage.

After driving away, Singh drove straight past her street and took the longer route along Sandy Bay Road to Long Beach, ignoring her repeated requests to stop.

Along the way, he asked invasive questions of a sexual nature, including: whether she has a boyfriend and whether he can touch “her tits”.

At the beach, the victim discreetly tried to contact the police, and Singh claimed that the ride was free but he owed him something.

He then aggressively placed his hands on the woman, trying to get them under her shirt and bra as she pushed him away.

The attack ended when the victim unbuckled his seatbelt and tried to escape. Singh grabbed her wrists to stop her, but she managed to escape and leave.

Acting judge 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 lure a vulnerable young person into a taxi at 4.30am and you did so with the possibility of sexual intercourse,” he said.

The judge also described Singh’s responses to difficult questions throughout the trial as “evasive” and “distracting” and that some of his lies were “glaringly obvious.”

In her victim impact statement, the woman described how the attack had destroyed her self-confidence, independence and sense of security. She said she now experiences “waves of panic” at the sight of taxis.

“As she put it, she fell into a dark and overwhelming despair, consumed with shame and guilt, questioning every decision she made that morning,” Acting Judge Martin said.

“Even though deep down she knew she was not guilty, the victim experienced, as she put it, toxic guilt and, at her darkest moment, attempted to take her own life, believing she would no longer be able to bear the pain or shame.”

Singh will spend three months behind bars and the remaining nine months on probation. He must also pay a $1,000 bond as part of a two-year good behavior order.

His temporary visa is under review and he will likely be deported, leaving behind a wife on a student visa and two children.

“As for your future prospects, you have not accepted responsibility for your behavior, you have not admitted guilt and I have no evidence of remorse, apart from the obvious suffering you are experiencing, and if you are experiencing your wife, because of the situation you are now in you find placed,” Acting Justice Martin said.