Brisbane's district court handed down the prison term to 46-year old Baljit Singh from Eight Mile Plains, over the incident which occurred on June 12, 2008.
An Indian taxi driver was today sentenced to 15 months in jail by an Australian court for molesting a teenage girl passenger.
Brisbane's district court handed down the prison term to 46-year old Baljit Singh from Eight Mile Plains, who is a father of four, over the incident which occurred on June 12, 2008.
Crown prosecutor Dzenita Balic told the court that the 13-year-old girl, dressed in her school uniform, had first asked Singh to drive her to a party, but changed her mind and told him to take her to her grandmother's house.
Singh, instead, stopped by a Greenslopes park, on Brisbane's southside, where he fondled her and performed an indecent act in front of her.
Balic said Singh had seized the opportunity to use the girl for his own sexual satisfaction, 'Australian Associated Press' reported.
Singh had earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent dealing of a child under 16.
Michael Byrne, Singh's lawyer, said his client was a hard working man who came to Australia from India in 1990. He said Singh, who had now lost his taxi license, had no previous convictions, and was a married father of four.
"It was a spontaneous action and completely out of character for him," Byrne was quoted as saying by The Courier Mail.
Judge Terry Martin said he accepted Singh's actions were out of character, and that he had "excellent references".
However, he said it was very serious offence, and "you were the taxi driver entrusted to take her to her destination."
The judge said the case was also unusual because the guilty plea was taken on the basis Singh had believed the girl was 16, which was was unreasonable.
Judge Martin sentenced Singh to 15 months' jail to be suspended after three months.
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