SINGAPORE: While on the Pan Island Expressway (PIE), a Grab driver reached into the back seat and brushed his female passenger's ankle, before turning to stare at her legs and stroking her calf.
Hashim Othman, 69, was jailed for a week on Friday (Mar 12) after pleading guilty to one charge of using criminal force to outrage the victim's modesty.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe court heard that Hashim was working as a Grab driver at the time of the offence in September 2018. At about 10pm, the victim, a 38-year-old woman, made a Grabshare booking on her phone to travel from East Coast Park to Block 896A, Tampines Street 81.
Hashim was assigned the job, but there was no other passenger sharing the ride. He picked the victim up and she sat in the rear seat on the left as he drove.
While travelling along the PIE towards Changi Airport, Hashim stretched out his left hand towards the rear passenger seat and brushed the victim's right ankle.
He then turned and stared at the victim's legs, said the prosecutor. Soon after this, Hashim placed his left hand in between the victim's ankles and used his palm to stroke her inner calf in an upwards motion several times, moving from her ankle to her knee.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe victim was shocked by Hashim's actions and asked him what he was doing. Hashim withdrew his hand and apologised. She lodged a police report the next day.
The prosecution sought a short jail term, referring to a guideline judgment of another case, noting that the offence was committed inside a private-hire vehicle and that there was skin-on-skin contact.
Hashim's family was with him in court. For molestation, he could have been jailed up to two years, fined, caned, or given any combination of these penalties.
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