A taxi driver who fled to India a day after he raped a female passenger and indecently assaulted another in Perth has been jailed for five-and-a-half years.
Simardeep Singh, 31, was a Swan Taxis driver when he picked up a 20-year-old woman in January 2011.
During the journey he rubbed her leg and asked her questions about her sex life.
About an hour later, Singh picked up two women and after he dropped off one of them, stopped at a park, claiming he needed to check something with his car.
The 18-year-old victim was sitting on a bench when Singh pinned her down and raped her.
It was submitted in Singh's defence that his Sikh upbringing and cultural factors led to his offending.
According to media reorts, defence lawyer Shane Adam told the court that Singh was raised in a conservative environment in Punjab, where women who wore short dresses were considered “prostitutes” and there was never any discussion around “sex” among family, peers or even on television. Therefore, the man experienced “culture shock”.
District Court Judge Troy Sweeney reportedly said Singh’s upbringing may have a role to play and he may not have been aware of what Australians consider “fully informed consent”, but that was not an excuse for his behaviour.
Singh was also exposed to prostitutes and drunk passengers through his work as a taxi driver, the court heard.
While Judge Sweeney accepted Singh's views about women were not uncommon in India, she also noted attitudes were being challenged and there was a lot of international attention on the issue.
Judge Sweeney noted prison would be more difficult for Singh because his parents and wife, who he married after these offences were committed, were not in Australia to regularly visit him.
But she said people placed trust in taxi drivers to get them home safely, especially when they had been drinking.
Singh must serve a minimum of three-and-a-half years behind bars before he will be eligible for parole and is then likely to be deported.
Reacting to this news, Netizens were outraged at Singh’s argument for his actions. One person commented, “Who cares if his parents and wife are not living in the country. He broke this countries laws, he should do the full time……the victims do not suffer less in 3 1/2 years, their suffering will go on for years.”
Another said: “This is Australia , I dont care what’culture’ he was brought up in – that is not the culture here -give him what he deserves !”
