Rickshaw driver, Mohammed Hossain (35), was jailed for 6 months after allegedly sexually abusing a young clubber, after offering her a free lift home.
Blackfriars Crown Court heard that the 21-year-old victim had been crying after an argument with a friend during the night, in March. Hossain, who is a Bangladeshi asylum seeker, had offered her a free ride home and then allegedly sexually assaulted her in the back.
Judge Jane Sullivan told Hossain, “At the time [the victim] was crying and really, really scared. Women have the right to feel safe when travelling home at night, in my view the circumstances of this offence are too serious to enable me to suspend the sentence. The harm lies in the fact that you offered a lift to, and then sexually assaulted, a young woman leaving a night club on her own at night. I have no doubt, therefore that this offence crosses the custody threshold because of the level of culpability and because of the vulnerability of the complainant.”
She further stated, “You are an educated Bangladeshi of previous food character and arrived here last year seeking asylum. I accept that you have struggled with the repercussions of the offence for which you have shown more remorse and I take this into account when sentencing you.”
Hossain will remain on the sex offenders' register for a minimum of seven years.
