London: An Uber driver from Brentford has been jailed after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in his cab. Simon Haile, 32, was senteced to eight months in prsion on Wednesday.
In a heraing from the Isleworth Crown Court, the driver picled the 26-year-old passenger in Ladbroke Grove on the night of 27 Feburary and tried to engage in a conversation with her.
The driver told the lady that he wanted to have sex with her. Concerned for her safety, the passenger wanted to get out of the vehicle but Haile did not stop. The lady managed to flee the car and reported the incident to the police.
According to information available, Haile has been given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which bans him from working as a private hire driver in England and Wales.
“Of particular concern was the rapid escalation in the behaviour of Samson Haile. He went from talking about sex to actually touching a lone, vulnerable female in a very short space of time,” said Detective Constable Carly Driscoll, from the Met’s Roads and Transporting Policing Command.
“I would like to praise the victim for having the confidence and courage to report her ordeal to police. I hope [the] sentencing gives her a degree of closure and also displays the professionalism and commitment of officers within the Met to investigate allegations of sexual crime,” she added.
A spokesperson for Uber welcomed the conviction. They further said: “As soon as we heard what happened, the driver was immediately stopped from using our service and we worked closely with the Metropolitan Police to ensure he was brought to justice.”
“The individual had recently passed the same enhanced criminal record checks that all private hire and taxi drivers in London go through as part of Transport for London’s licensing process.”
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