Scots taxi driver who asked girls for sex when they couldn't pay fare has conviction re-instated after appeal
16.12.2022 - 07:59
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
A "predatory" taxi driver who pestered girls for sex when they had no money for their fare will be made to sign the Sex Offenders Register after prosecutors overturned his appeal against his conviction.
Faisal Aziz, of Edinburgh, was driving his Volkswagen Passat in South College Street in the capital when he was hailed by two women aged 18 and 21. When they told him they couldn't pay for the fare until they reached their destination, he asked: "What else can you offer...sex?"
The 33-year-old was convicted in May 2021 of making sexually motivated remarks towards the pair, which would have required him to sign onto the Sex Offenders Register. But in August this year lawyers for the driver convinced appeal judges to remove the sexual element of the crime - exempting him from signing on.
However, prosecutors took the case to the High Court appeal court this week, which has restored the conviction in full. Lord Carloway, the Lord Justice General, noted of Aziz's behaviour: "The significant sexual aspect is made out."
The court was told that Aziz had been driving a private hire car in Edinburgh city centre in the early hours of October 5 2019 when he was hailed by the two young women. He pulled his car over despite only being licensed to pick up pre-booked passengers.
The three entered into a conversation, in which the pair said they could pay for the ride upon arriving at their destination, before Aziz then suggested they could cover the cost in another way. Both then left the taxi, frightened, and he drove off, leaving them alone in an empty, dark street – but not before they snapped a photo of his number plate, snaring him.
Appeal Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen reduced Aziz's conviction to a breach of the peace on August 30 this