A Nigerian taxi driver pleaded guilty to
assaulting a female passenger by
repeatedly touching her thigh as she sat
beside him on her way home after a
night out.
50-year-old Yomi Matti, a married father
of four, was given a three-month
suspended sentence on April 1, for $
exual assault in what a judge described
as the “ultimate nightmare scenario” for
an unaccompanied woman in a taxi.
In a victim statement, the young woman
said that she did not want to see Matti
go to jail, but “didn’t want it to happen
to somebody else”.
Suspending the sentence for a year,
Judge David McHugh said the accused
had breached his position of trust as a
taxi driver “in the most profound way”
and ordered that €1,100 which Matti
had brought to court as a token of
remorse be given to the victim, either to
keep or donate to charity.
Yomi pleaded guilty to $exual assault of
the woman on November 1 last year. A
garda told Blanchardstown District Court
the victim had taken the taxi from
Harcourt Street in the early hours of
November 1, 2014. She was sitting in
the front passenger seat.
“On the way out, the driver touched her
on the leg on a number of occasions,
that is the crux of it really,” the garda
said.
Reading the victim impact statement,
Judge McHugh said it was a “very fair
report” and the garda agreed that the
victim was a “very genuine young lady”.
“Her motivation was totally unselfish in
reporting the matter. She just didn’t
want it to happen to somebody else.” he
said.
Yomi’s solicitor said the taxi driver was
originally from Nigeria, and had lived in
Ireland for 15 years and had driven a
taxi for six years and had no previous
convictions of any kind. Before that, he
had jobs as a security officer and with
IBM.
He had a good work history and had
never been in trouble, even for a road
traffic offence. His solicitor said a
conviction would have a huge effect on
Yomi, his family and his livelihood.
“This gentleman admitted to $exual
assault on a lady when he was given a
position of trust as a taxi man and it
would be the ultimate nightmare
scenario for unaccompanied women in
this situation,” Judge McHugh said. “It is
the case that this gentleman has
breached that position of trust in the
most profound way with a most
vulnerable young woman.”
The accused accepted the victim impact
report was very fair and he had €1,100
in court for the woman as a token of his
remorse. The judge said the victim had
clearly stated that she has “no appetite
to see this man go to jail” but she “does
want justice to be done”. He
commended the victim’s “forbearance”.
“It is the ultimate nightmare for any
young lady,” he added. “Thankfully, there
were no long-term psychological effects
or physical injuries.”
Source: Independent Irish
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