A taxi driver who sexually assaulted a barely conscious passenger before stealing her engagement ring has been sentenced to 10 months in prison, as his victim says she is now a fearful shadow of her former self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Satinder Satinder, 29, was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates\u2019 Court on Monday after pleading guilty to non-consensual sexual touching and theft from his passenger, who was 30 at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Court documents said the 45-minute assault was captured on the in-taxi CCTV, which showed Satinder helping the \u201cclearly intoxicated\u201d victim into his cab at about 3:30am in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He repeatedly groped her on top of and underneath her shirt and pants, despite the victim trying to push his hands away when she occasionally regained consciousness, the documents said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Satinder spent three minutes twisting her engagement ring off, and pulled her top down before putting his face over her breasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He dropped the victim at her house, fleeing before being paid a fare, and was arrested the next day by federal police at Melbourne\u2019s international airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c[The offending] was repulsive and as wrong as it could possibly be,\u201d magistrate Kay Robertson said in her sentencing remarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou were employed as a taxi driver. You were in a position of trust. People in this community, particularly young people and vulnerable people, rely on taxi drivers safely taking them to their destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have to send a message to taxi drivers, and ride-share drivers, that there will be punishment if they breach that trust \u2026 particularly when that passenger is vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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