Taxi driver found guilty on 9 News
17/01/2014
Channel 9 News 17/01/2014 [Taxi driver found guilty] (18.10)
A Blair Athol taxi driver has been found guilty of indecently assaulting a young disabled passenger. The victim, who’s confined to a wheelchair, wasn’t able to protect herself and advocates are now calling for more to be done:
Relief at last.
Unidentified female: “It’s such a victory for [bleeped out] who clearly hasn’t got a voice and could never stand up for herself.”
Today taxi driver, Cheng Cao, who we can now name, was found guilty of indecently assaulting the couple’s 24 year old disabled daughter in November 2012. The magistrate finding 54 year old Cao picked the victim up from Kingswood and stuck his hand down her shirt.
Unidentified male: “Devastating.”
Unidentified female: “Couldn’t believe it. Still couldn’t believe it.”
Unidentified male: “It also makes you feel guilty that you’ve actually let her down.”
The attack was caught on the taxi’s CCTV, which Cao attempted to cover with paper. The man told the court he didn’t know the victim was disabled claiming she spat on him and he covered the cameras to hit her, but magistrate Simon Smart rejected Cao’s version saying it was clear the passenger was severely disabled and didn’t consent to being touched. Advocacy groups are calling for better protection.
(Kelly Vincent, Dignity for Disability MP, grab)
Vincent: “Communication assistance and interpreters for people with communication disabilities, also very multiple disabilities.”
Sentencing submissions will be heard next month.
