A taxi driver who dropped off a man and the woman he is accused of sexually assaulting thought he was an angry father collecting his drunken daughter.
Experienced driver Edward Wright gave evidence at the trial of 62-year-old Wieslaw Piotrowski.
He is accused of sexually assaulting a “totally wrecked” woman at his home at Perth Airport when she was unable to consent.
She claimed she woke up virtually naked in his bed while Piotrowski performed sex acts on her.
Taxi driver picked up complainer
Jurors at Perth Sheriff Court were shown CCTV of Mr Wright driving the pair to the property at the A94 airport, between 1.05am and 1.13am on November 4, 2018.
Mr Wright explained when Piotrowski and the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, entered his taxi at the Murray Street rank, he presumed she was being collected by her dad.
The 59-year-old said: “She appeared very drunk.
“She was trying to say something but nothing was coming out.
“I formed the impression it was like a dad taking his daughter home because she was drunk.
“He didn’t say much. It was very limited conversation.
“He didn’t seem drunk. I couldn’t smell drink.”
Dropped off at airport
Mr Wright explained that after he dropped the pair off, Piotrowski held the complainer up as they walked down a footpath to his home.
He had exited his car briefly to help her after they stopped but Piotrowski was able to remove her from the car unassisted.
“I was concerned that she was going to be sick,” he said.
“She was out of it, totally.
“Her eyes were rolling, her head was rolling.
“When he paid me the fare, she wasn’t getting out the car.
“I asked her if she was ok.
“She was trying to speak but there was nothing.”
Security guard called taxi
The 37-year-old woman said she was “totally wrecked” after taking cocaine and drinking on a night out in Perth before she ended up at the airport property.
She alleges she was assaulted for “a couple of minutes,” she got dressed and fled, but had no idea where she was.
Eventually she bumped into security guard David Wilkie who called a taxi.
Mr Wilkie told jurors: “I was sitting in the dark in the vehicle watching the entrance gates.
“A figure appeared about 100 yards from me.”
He labelled the woman’s demeanour as being “very intoxicated.”
Piotrowski denies sexually assaulting the woman.
The trial before Sheriff William Gilchrist, continues.
