Cabbie touched schoolgirl, 14

A FORMER Oldham taxi driver who touched a 14-year-old girl as he drove her to school has escaped a prison sentence.

Wajid Mahmood (26), of Napier Street East, pleaded not guilty to sexually touching a girl without her consent at Oldham Magistrates’ Court on August 3.

Magistrates sentenced him to six weeks’ custody — suspended for 12 months — and ordered him to sign the sex offenders’ register for seven years after finding him guilty.

Father-of-two Mahmood had been working for private-hire firm Oldham Cars at the time of the incident on January 21. He has since lost his job. The court heard how the victim, who was in school uniform, phoned the company to take her to school.

During the journey, Mahmood began to touch the top of her right leg and inner thigh, and stroked and caressed her leg for five minutes.

During the trial, the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she had been scared and tried moving her foot away but Mahmood had kept his hand on her leg.

He had asked her what she was doing that night and did she want to go out with him, and repeatedly asked for her phone number as well as offering his. The girl said she had told him she was out with her boyfriend that night, said he couldn’t have her number and tried to place her bag on her lap to stop him.

Once at home after the school day, she told her boyfriend about the incident. He then called the taxi firm on a number of occasions to report Mahmood.

He was told by the taxi firm that Mahmood had been warned. It was only when the girl told her mother about what happened two days after the incident that the police were informed.

Michael Hopkinson, defending, said Mahmood was a family man with a laid-back personality who still denied the charges. He said Mahmood had not planned his behaviour, and there had been no grooming or violence.

He said: “Clearly, his behaviour was thoroughly reprehensible in every possible way. Nonetheless, it wasn’t violent. There was no threat issued by him.

“There was no direct attempt made to engage in sexual behaviour.”

Mr Hopkinson said since coming to the country in 2005, Mahmood had worked continuously and had been a man of good character.

He added: “He has lost his job, his good character, his status in the community.

“He is losing a great deal because of a brief period of inappropriate behaviour.”

Paul Smithies, chairman of the bench, said: “We have a duty to protect the public.”

Mahmood was also given a community order to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay his victim £500 compensation.