A Hamilton Uber driver who raped a 17-year-old passenger after picking her up from a city bar has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison, as a judge raised serious concerns about the safety expectations placed on ride-share services, Waikato Times has reported.
Satwinder Singh, 37, was sentenced in the Hamilton District Court on Wednesday to seven years and two months in prison after being found guilty of rape and three counts of indecent assault following a judge-alone trial earlier this year, as reported by Waikato Times.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Tini Clark said Singh’s actions represented a grave violation of trust placed in him as a transport provider. The victim, who was intoxicated at the time, was taken advantage of during what should have been a short and safe journey.
“It must be heartbreaking for a parent, believing your child is being conveyed safely from point A to point B, only to find out she is the victim of serious sexual offending,” Judge Clark said, as quoted by Waikato Times.
“I’m not sure what the vetting is for Uber drivers ... but there is an expectation that people who drive Ubers are people we are safe with,” Waikato Times has quoted.
Singh was not such a person.
Despite Singh’s conviction and imprisonment, media outlets are currently barred from publishing his courtroom photograph. While the Waikato Times was permitted to take a photo, defence counsel Nadine Baier argued that publication would harm the mental health of Singh’s wife, even though his name and details are already public.
Judge Clark expressed discomfort with the request, saying, “There are many Satwinder Singhs, but there is also a Satwinder Singh who is an Uber driver in Hamilton,” as quoted by Waikato Times.
The judge has reserved her decision on whether the image can be published until she receives a sworn affidavit from Singh’s wife, along with supporting medical material.
Due to statutory name suppression protecting the victim, several details of the February 11, 2023, incident cannot be reported.
According to the Waikato Times, that night, the teenager booked an Uber to travel from the Speights Ale House to a friend’s home in Hamilton East. After some confusion about the pick-up location, Singh collected her from the Pak’N Save car park on Mill St.
When the victim entered the vehicle, her clothing had ridden up, and Singh immediately questioned whether she was wearing underwear. Judge Clark said, “from that moment his interest was piqued”, Waikato Times has reported.
Not long into the journey, Singh began touching the victim’s inner thigh. She objected, saying, “No, can you not?” but he ignored her.
Rather than stopping at her intended destination, Singh drove past the address and disabled the car’s GPS tracker. He told the victim he was taking her to a “special place”, which turned out to be a nearby street.
After parking, Singh locked the vehicle doors, kissed her, touched and sucked her breasts, and then raped her. He later dropped her off at her friend’s house. The victim immediately disclosed what had happened, and police were contacted, launching a sexual assault investigation.
During the trial, Baier challenged the reliability of the victim’s evidence due to her intoxication. She claimed the thigh contact was accidental, the kissing was initiated by the victim, and the touching of her breasts was consensual. Singh also denied that intercourse ever occurred, telling police the victim had invited him to “come over her”, which he said he refused, Waikato Times has reported.
The court rejected those claims.
In her victim impact statement, the young woman described experiencing an “overwhelming rage” over the assault. What should have been a brief trip became a traumatic event with lifelong consequences. She has since withdrawn from social situations and abandoned her university study plans due to fear of being in public.
“She is now having her life coming to a grinding halt, at a time when she should be at her most carefree,” Judge Clark said, as quoted by Waikato Times.
Singh was originally due to be sentenced in July, but the defence sought an adjournment to obtain further background reports. The delay worsened the victim’s distress.
According to a report by Waikato Times, Judge Clark said Singh’s upbringing had contributed to a deeply flawed mindset, describing his background as “unfortunate” and noting it had led to a “distorted view of New Zealand women who he considered to be forward and promiscuous”.
The judge rejected Singh’s continued claims that the incident was a misunderstanding.
There was no room for confusion about consent, she said, pointing directly to the victim’s words: “No, can you not”, Waikato Times has reported.