Chigwell Uber driver placed on sex offender's list but avoids jail

Nadeem Afzal, 51, of Limes Avenue, Chigwell, was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, on Thursday, January 2 at Kingston Crown Court.

A 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) was also made.

Azfal began making several sexual comments and exposed himself to the woman about 20 minutes into the journey from north to south London in November 2018.

What was meant to take around 40 minutes, ended up taking nearly two hours for the victim to return near her home,

She made an audio recording as Afzal asked her several times to touch him and perform a sex act, which she refused.

He pleaded guilty to one charge of exposure contrary to the Sexual Offences Act 2003, at a hearing on Wednesday, November 6, 2019.

Sergeant Jonny Harris, from the Met’s Roads and Transport Command, said: “Afzal preyed on this female passenger in his minicab and was extremely persistent in his sexual advances and behaviour, leaving the passenger feeling scared and vulnerable.

“The victim showed courage coming forward to police and reporting Afzal, who is now a registered sex offender and can no longer work as a cab driver.”

Mandy McGregor, head of Transport Policing and Community Safety at TfL, said: “Nobody should ever be subjected to this kind of revolting and predatory behaviour and we are pleased to hear that Afzal has been brought to justice for his actions.

“We applaud the bravery of the victim for coming forward. We expect the highest standards from TfL licensed taxi and private hire drivers, which is why Afzal is no longer a licensed driver.

“We take every report seriously so it can be investigated by the police.”

Anyone who has been a victim of crime is asked to contact 999. Victims can also report non-urgent crimes by call 101, tweeting @MetCC or online https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting their website.