Emma Richards, 41, of Green Lane in Litherland, has been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to sexual assault. The incident, which lasted approximately four minutes, occurred on June 12 at around 8.50pm.
The court heard that the taxi driver received a call to take Richards from Cumberland Street in the Cavern Quarter to Green Lane. Richards, who had been drinking heavily, got into the front passenger seat and made suggestive comments to the victim, telling him he "smelled nice". She then grabbed his left arm and leaned towards him, attempting to kiss him. The victim rebuffed her and told her to stay in her seat, but Richards again attempted to grab his arm and lean in towards him.
Assault captured on CCTV
Prosecutor Ben Stanley said Richards then touched the victim's groin, rubbing it with her right hand. The victim did not tell her to stop because he was worried how she would react, as they were trapped in the vehicle together. Richards also pulled up her top and exposed her chest while rubbing the victim's groin and genitals. The incident lasted approximately four minutes, after which Richards left the vehicle.
The victim drove off and parked his taxi around the corner, where he called the police. Judge Simon Medland KC said: "The evidence against her was frankly overwhelming because of the car CCTV footage."
Victim impact
In a statement, the victim said: "Before this happened I felt like I was a normal person living a normal life. I was comfortable meeting different people each day as that was my job. I regularly had to sit alone with passengers and I never thought of this as something I should be worried about."
He added: "Since this happened, that feeling of safety has gone. Being in a confined space with a woman makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. Sometimes I feel nervous even when there's no reason to be. This is difficult as I can't avoid these situations. Picking up passengers is how I earn my living."
The victim said he tried to continue working after the incident but eventually had to stop working as a taxi driver due to anxiety. He said he suffered from anxiety and nightmares and felt "embarrassed" as he had been unable to have intimate relationships with women since the assault.
Sentence and reaction
Matt O'Neill, defending Richards, said: "Her life has been very traumatic at times; (she has been) a victim of domestic abuse. The defendant told me she has attempted suicide previously. She's a woman who has lost her good character due to issues with alcohol." He asked the judge to make a community order, adding that the offences were committed while she was highly intoxicated.
Judge Menary said: "This has had a serious impact on the victim. It proves the point that sexual assault, whether committed by a woman or a man, on a woman or a man, is a very serious thing. Maybe the incident was only a few minutes, but often has a profound effect on the victim."
Richards was sentenced to an 18-month community order and a six-month alcohol abstinence requirement. She cried as she was asked to stand to hear her sentence, and fell to the floor and bawled loudly as she was told she would be a registered sex offender for a period of five years. She had to be escorted from the courtroom.
