An Oxford taxi driver has been accused of sexually assaulting two women he was taking home after a night out.
Mohammed Kharal, of Abingdon Road, Oxford, had been on trial at Oxford Crown Court.
The 42-year-old denied two counts of sexual assault against two women in his taxi on August 28 2022.
The jury previously heard that he picked the women up in Oxford and took them to Witney via a cash machine and a garage.
On Wednesday, January 7, prosecution barrister Gavin Pottinger gave his closing speech to the jury.
He said: “Why would they make this up?
“Was it a decision they made to go against him in some kind of plot?
“They were reluctant to report it. They just wanted to make sure something like this didn’t happen again.”
They jury heard the allegation was that Kharal was touching one of the women’s legs throughout the journey and that he touched one of their breasts.
Mr Pottinger added: “The women were stressed and they wanted to go home. They were vulnerable and they had no money.
“These were two women who had a bad experience, helping each other.”
Kharal decided to not give evidence himself in the trial.
Mr Pottinger said: “Why was he picking people up who had no money?
“Why was he risking his taxi driving job to do this? Maybe he thought he would get away with it.”
The jury previously heard that in a police interview, Kharal said he was trying to do up the seatbelts for the women.
The barrister added: “The women were consistent about what happened to them.”
In his closing speech, defence barrister Kuljeet Dobe said: “The allegation is he was touching one of the women’s legs throughout the taxi journey.
“The allegation is that he carried on when the other women went to an ATM.
“The allegation is that he hugged them both and kissed them on the cheek when he dropped them off.
“One of the women was feeling paranoid and wanted to get a bus. She didn’t say ‘stop’ or ‘get off’ or scream when you would expect an immediate reaction.
“She says it was an ongoing sexual assault. She didn’t tell him to stop.”
In his summing up of the evidence, Judge Michael Roques said: “The defendant continues to rely on the contents of his police interview. He denied any inappropriate touching.
“He says any touching was accidental and he was just trying to assist.”
The jury retired to consider its verdicts at 2.35pm.
The trial continues.
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/25747 … ing-women/
Oxford – Jury discharged in taxi driver sexual assault trial
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/25751 … ult-trial/
A jury has been discharged after it was unable to make a decision in the trial of a taxi driver accused of sexual assault.
Mohammed Kharal, of Abingdon Road, Oxford, was on trial at Oxford Crown Court.
The 42-year-old denied two counts of sexual assault against two women in his taxi on August 28 2022.
The jury previously heard that he picked the women up in Oxford and took them to Witney via a cash machine and a garage.
On Thursday, January 8, after being given a majority direction, the jury foreman indicated they would not be able to reach any verdicts.
Judge Michael Roques therefore decided to discharge the jury and said: “I appreciate it’s a frustrating outcome as far as you are concerned. You go with my thanks. I am extremely grateful to you for coming to court.”
The prosecution asked for 14 days to decide if it sought a retrial, with the case being listed for January 22.
On January 7, prosecution barrister Gavin Pottinger gave his closing speech to the jury. He said: “Why would they make this up?
“Was it a decision they made to go against him in some kind of plot?
“They were reluctant to report it. They just wanted to make sure something like this didn’t happen again.”
In his closing speech, defence barrister Kuljeet Dobe said: “She didn’t say ‘stop’ or ‘get off’ or scream when you would expect an immediate reaction.
“She says it was an ongoing sexual assault. She didn’t tell him to stop.”