Driver tried to kiss his passenger

Faisal Jameel, 29, formerly of Portal Road in Swindon but now living in Blackburn, picked two women up in Regent Circus last June, after they had been clubbing.

After dropping one woman off, he touched the other on the leg and tried to kiss her and to this day she is nervous of taxis and even gave up a job in order to avoid them.

He was found guilty by a majority verdict following a two-day trial in April, and sentence was deferred for reports on Jameel to be prepared.

At yesterday's sentencing hearing, Swindon Crown Court was told that Jameel had planned to plead guilty, but had been advised by a family member not to.

His counsel, Chris Smythe, explained: "The defendant accepts that he was responsible for an indecent assault.

"The explanation given for contesting the case was that a senior member of his family told him that was the thing to do."

Mr Smythe said that, since his trial, Jameel had returned to Blackburn, where he lived with his wife, and worked at a takeaway food restaurant.

He added that Jameel, who has no previous convictions, was remorseful.

Prosecutor Paul Hester read out sections of a victim impact statement prepared by the woman Jameel attacked.

Mr Hester said: "She finds it hard to get into a taxi.

"She has given up her evening job because she can then avoid taxis. Her finances have been affected because she had an evening job because she doesn't get paid very much in her day job."

Jameel, an Urdu speaker, listened through an interpreter as Judge Charles Wade told him: "Those people who travel in taxis are entitled to expect that they will be taken to their destination without being pestered or harassed or interfered with sexually or in any other way.

"It is fundamental of the job of a taxi driver that the people who travel with you can trust you to take them safely to their homes or wherever they go.

"You breached that trust with this young girl when you forced your attentions on her."