Grandad jailed over taxi toilet request
A grandfather who tried to coerce two females to do the toilet in the back of his black hack taxi has been jailed for more than a year.
A grandfather who tried to coerce two females to do the toilet in the back of his black hack taxi has been jailed for more than a year. Robert Smith, 56, told the women during taxi journeys in April and June last year that he would waive their fare if they did. The first victim a 31-year-old business owner refused to carry out the sick act when asked on more than one occasion. His second victim, only 18 at the time, was scared enough to try but was unable to. Both women reported the incidents to the police and picked Smith, from Baillieston, Glasgow, out of a number of images shown to them. After a trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court, Smith was convicted of repeatedly attempting to coerce one woman to urinate in the taxi, and another charge of coercing the second girl into removing her lower clothing and attempting to. Smith - a father and grandfather - claimed the women did the toilet, he didn’t ask them to and was left with the mess. Sheriff Joan Kerr jailed Smith for 15 months and put him on the Sex Offenders’ register for 10 years. She said: “You were in a position of trust, you were the holder of a taxi licence Mr Smith, which meant you were supposed to take people from A to B without incident, safely. “And, I take into account the effect of these events upon the complainers who gave evidence in the case, in particular the fact that you took particular advantage of the second complainer who was young and in a vulnerable state on the night in question. The first women told the court that during the course of her journey from Glasgow City Centre Smith took a wrong turn and they ended up in a secluded area. He asked if she needed the toilet and told her he would like her to go to the toilet. Procurator fiscal depute Niall MacDonald asked: “What did you understand about that and what he meant by that?” She replied: “I guess, I presumed he wanted me to do it in the taxi for him to watch.” After being taken to her police statement she accepted she told the police that if she let him watch her that he would give her the taxi journey for free. In evidence she told the jury: “I just wanted to go home, I was just scared.” He did take her to her destination and she said she handed him two notes and went into the house, and later decided to report her ordeal. The second female, an 18-year-old girl had been separated from her friends and found herself in Smith’s taxi in the city centre. She also claimed that while driving, Smith told her she wouldn’t need to pay if she did the toilet. In his speech to the jury Mr MacDonald invited them to find that the evidence of the second victim “bolstered” the evidence of the first that Smith made them the same offer. The teenager described exposing her lower half and trying to do the toilet but being “very scared” an unable. She was dropped off at a hotel in town where she immediately reported what happened and the police were called. Mr MacDonald told the jury: “I suggest it’s clear in evidence, the accused pursued a course of criminal conduct against these two women who just wanted to get from A to B in a licenced black cab, something people everywhere in the city should be able to do without the breach of trust as we have had here.” Defence lawyer Michael Poggi told the court jailing Mr Smith would have a “catastrophic” affect on him and his family and urged the sheriff to impose a community based disposal.