Dunedin Driver Jailed: Sexual Assault and Digital Harassment Verdict
A man in his 30s received a nearly four-year prison sentence after a judge found him guilty of detaining and assaulting two female passengers in 2023.
By Matthew Qureshi ·
A Dunedin driver in his 30s was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison on Friday after Judge Ajit Swaran Singh found him guilty of sexually assaulting one female passenger and detaining two others.
The sentencing took place at the Dunedin District Court. The judge kept the defendant's identity under a suppression order until a final hearing scheduled for next year.
The man had pleaded guilty to harassment and a charge under the Harmful Digital Communications Act at the start of his trial in March. The judge added the convictions for detention and sexual assault to those earlier pleas.
The court heard that the two incidents occurred inside the defendant's vehicle roughly two months apart in 2023.
The first incident began when the victim was trying to avoid an intoxicated man on Princes Street. The defendant offered her a ride, introduced himself as a taxi driver, and locked the car doors.
During the drive to her home, he made comments about her appearance. He then stopped on a gravel patch near her house and played a game of paper-scissors-rock with her. When he won, he asked for a kiss. She kissed his cheek, but he turned to kiss her mouth.
The victim attempted to leave but found the door locked. The driver released her only after she threatened to roll down the window. She ran home to her husband in tears.
A month later, the defendant obtained her personal information from the city council rates database and contacted her repeatedly. Around the same time, he picked up a second victim who was waiting for a taxi in central Dunedin.
The defendant claimed to be her Uber driver but demanded cash payment upon arrival. When she objected, citing the app payment, he asked her to expose her breasts. He unlocked the doors only after she threatened to smear lipstick on his back seats.
This second victim did not know at the time that the man had been harassing her for nearly a year since a ride in 2022. He had messaged her social media accounts, left a handwritten letter in her mailbox, and contacted her ex-partner with false allegations.
The first victim told the court she felt like prey and lived in a constant state of unease. She installed security cameras and moved away from Dunedin to feel safe.
The second victim reported living in hypervigilance and suffering from nightmares. She said she had to change how she lived and whom she trusted. Both women acknowledged that the defendant's partner and children were also affected by the crimes. Their defense counsel, Paige Noorland, noted that the defendant was the family's main source of stability and had spent three years on restrictive bail. The court indicated that an appeal against the convictions is likely.
