A married taxi driver narrowly avoided jail after abducting a passenger and sexually assaulting her.
Father-of-one Danish Masood locked the terrified woman in the car and groped her as they travelled along Bute Drive and Dunkeld Road in Perth.
The 33-year-old was found guilty following a trial at the city’s Sheriff Court last year and appeared for sentencing on Wednesday.
Details of a victim impact statement revealed the woman was still shaken by the incident, which took place on November 2 2012, and is finding it difficult to cope.
Sheriff Michael Fletcher told Masood, of Crieff Road, that he had considered a custodial sentence.
He said: “This offence is a serious one. It is particularly serious because of the fact it was committed by you acting as a taxi driver.
“Members of the public are encouraged to take taxis rather than walk because it is thought to be safer, but to find an offence like this being committed will make the public particularly concerned.
“A custodial sentence is a sentence which is appropriate as far as this matter is concerned.”
Instead, he ordered Masood to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work as a direct alternative, after a social work report deemed the accused to be at low risk of reoffending.
For more on this story pick up Thursday’s edition of The Courier.