Southport taxi driver found not guilty of sexual assault

A Southport taxi driver was found not guilty of sexual assault today (Friday) leading to tears of joy from his family in the courtroom.

Ian Charles Grassick, 59, of Stavely Road was found unanimously not guilty by a jury in less that half an hour of deliberations.

Over the three days of his trial Grassick repeatedly denied claims that he touched the woman inappropriately, after he picked her up following her birthday night out at the Fox and Goose.

The complainant stated that Grassick climbed over into the back of the cab and touched her on February 4 of this year, but he resolutely denied this, saying that it was she who instigated a kiss and physical contact.

Grassick has no previous criminal convictions and the court heard about his many medical issues, including diabetes, gall bladder removal and mobility issues.

Forensic tests also revealed that Grassick’s DNA was not present on the complainants trousers or knickers.

The court heard from Claire Wilson, an occupational therapist, who conducted an assessment of Mr Grassick's mobility on June 30.

She said: "I didn't get the impression he was exaggerating his lack of mobility. He was keen to show me what he could do and he tried to carry out every movement I asked him to perform, even if it caused him pain.

"He could have moved into the back of the cab but his movements would have been slow and considered, he would have found it extremely difficult. It would be very hard for him to get out of that position."

Peter Killen defending said: "The complainant's evidence has changed every time she has spoken to police, during the 999 call, her interview and when officers attended her house she has added another detail, it is not consistent.

"She maintains that Mr Grassick pounced on her, but then in the 999 call she states that they had a cigarette together and there was some conversation, these two statements can not live in the same world as each other.

"Mr Grassick is telling the truth, at every opportunity his evidence has remained consistent, he fully co-operated with police and he knew things about the defendant such as her job, her husband and the fact she had been out celebrating her birthday. He could only have known these things if they had had a conversation."

Geoffrey Lowe, prosecuting, said: "Mr Grassick knew the complainant was the worse for drink when she got in that car and he took advantage of her in her vulnerable state.

"When the complainant spoke to the police to report the assault she was telling the truth. The details may escape her memory at this time but when she made that 999 call she was clear that she had been assaulted."

http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/news/southport-west-lancs/southport-taxi-driver-found-not-9724523
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 Over a thousand Rio taxi drivers block main city route to protest Uber

More than a thousand taxi drivers have joined a protest in Rio de Janeiro against ride-sharing company Uber, blocking roads and stalling traffic during morning rush hour as tensions rise in the city over the mobile app ride service.

Uber Technologies Inc responded to Friday’s protest by offering free rides to customers to help alleviate transport issues on what it called a “difficult day for getting around”.

The company has come under fire in countries around the world, with local taxi drivers complaining that Uber drivers are not properly regulated and have fewer overhead costs, which makes them unfairly competitive.

Lawmakers in São Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, and the capital city Brasilia have already voted to ban Uber after protests by local taxi drivers. The bills still require executive approval before taking force.

In Rio, cabbies parked their yellow taxis in a chain stretching for three miles along one of the city’s main thoroughfares that connects the affluent south zone with the central business district. Taxi drivers honked their horns and chanted.

“We want to combat the illegal (drivers). We are the official ones, we have a responsibility, we are professionals who have families,” said Alexander Campos, a taxi driver from Belo Horizonte who drove the 400 kilometers (248 miles) to Rio for the protest.

In a statement, Uber said it defends customer choice and that “innovation is crucial” in a city like Rio, “which has a population in need of more options and receives millions of tourists a year”.

The company also offered people in Rio two free rides up to the value of 50 reais ($15) each from 7am to 7pm local time, with an accompanying Twitter hashtag žRIONAOPARA or “Rio doesn’t stop.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/24/rio-de-janeiro-uber-protest-taxis