Taxi Driver Online

This is one case where operator records played a big part in identifying sex pest.
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Birmingham Evening Mail

August 10, 2006, Thursday

HEADLINE: Sex attack man jailed.

BYLINE: Paul Beard

A SOLIHULL cabbie who groped a teenage passenger when he was already on bail for an earlier sex attack has been jailed.

Abdul Aziz denied four charges relating to assaults on two women passengers aged 17 and 18. But a jury at Warwick Crown Court took just an hour to convict Aziz, 33, of Avondale Road, Sparkhill, of all the counts.

The court heard Aziz attacked the 17-year-old after picking her up from a pub at Billesley while he worked for a firm called Robin Hood Cars in January 2005. He was arrested and bailed but squeezed the 18-year-old's thigh last October after being sent to collect her from her home at Yardley to take her to a friend's house.

Aziz, who worked for Shirley-based Able Taxis at the time of the second offence, denied all the allegations against him.

But Judge Marten Coates jailed him for two years and ordered him to register as a sex offender for 10 years. Aziz was also banned for life from working as a taxi, minibus or private hire driver.

At his trial, the jury heard there was overwhelming evidence against Aziz. He assaulted the 17-year-old after ignoring the girl's directions to her home before pulling over and trying to kiss her.

"He touched my leg and thigh and tried to kiss me," she told the jury.

"I pushed him away. He pulled away, but did not turn round. Two minutes up the road he pulled over again and tried kissing me again and undid the zip of my jeans. "I was in a state of shock. I could not really do much."

The court heard the 18-year-old called a friend to make sure she arrived at her destination safely after Aziz squeezed her thigh last October. The taxi firm's records showed Aziz was driving the car sent to collect her.
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