MAN POSING AS TAXI DRIVER SEXUALLY ASSAULTED WOMAN WHO GOT INTO HIS CAR
A man pretending to be a taxi driver sexually abused a vulnerable woman who used his vehicle to return home.The woman explained that the experience has caused her ongoing anxiety, which she believes will persist indefinitely.
Virender Sohal, aged 42, took advantage of the woman after she had been drinking in Cardiff city centre in 2022.
She had lost her friends and was without money or keys.
Sohal was parked at a taxi rank on Mill Lane, outside Heidi's bar, when he offered her a ride.
At a hearing held at Cardiff Crown Court, it was revealed that Sohal convinced the woman he was trustworthy enough to take her home.
Instead, he drove her through Cardiff and, during the journey, inappropriately touched her thigh without her consent, stroking it while driving.
Prosecutor Julia Cox stated that Sohal had been attempting to find lone female victims for about an hour before approaching the woman.
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Sohal, who resides on Chandlery Way in Butetown, was convicted of sexual assault after a trial but was acquitted of assault by penetration.
The court acknowledged his prior good character.
In a victim statement read aloud in court, the woman revealed that nearly three years following the incident, her anxiety remains severe.
She stated, “It’s nearly three years, and I still feel I will never be free of it.
It’s part of my life now.
I have sleepless nights and need therapy.
It was meant to be a joyful night, but I want to forget.
The feelings are always with me and affect my daily routines.
I often expect the worst.” During mitigation, lawyer Christopher Rees KC explained that Sohal was the sole breadwinner for his family, including his wife of sixteen years, his daughter, and relatives in India.
Rees cautioned that imprisonment would harm his family.
Judge Christian Jowett remarked that Sohal’s behaviour posed a risk to young women.
He sentenced Sohal to 22 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, complemented by 200 hours of unpaid work and a twenty-day rehabilitation order.
The court also mandated a seven-year sex offender registration, and ordered Sohal to pay £200 in costs.
