“YOU have brought disgrace to public service transport providers who are providing a valuable service to this country.”
This was the comment of Nausori Magistrate Shageeth Somaratne while sentencing taxi driver Ram Ugesh to two years and six months imprisonment after he was convicted of attempted rape.
Ugesh had tried to rape a woman who was waiting for a taxi at around 10pm on July 10, 2013, in Nausori Town.
Magistrate Somaratne said Ugesh had transported the woman in his taxi and when they approached her home, he did not stop.
The court heard she managed to escape from the taxi.
He said Ugesh chased after her, grabbed her hand and told her that he wanted to sleep with her.
The court heard the man then dragged her into the jungle, and when he stumbled onto a fence, she managed to run away.
A non-parole period of two years has been set.
