Brighton cabbie jailed for four counts of sexual assault on a female passenger

Image credit: Sussex Police

A taxi driver who sexually assaulted a female passenger on a late night journey home from Brighton has been sent to prison.

Mansour Sangsary, 64, of Hove, was given a prison sentence totalling seven and a half years when he appeared at Brighton Crown Court on Thursday 29 July, having been convicted in June after a six-day trial of four counts of sexual assault.

He will also be a registered sex offender indefinitely and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last until further court order, prohibiting him from any employed or voluntary driving, other than of people known to him on a purely social basis.

Sangsary, a licensed Brighton & Hove taxi driver at the time, was in his cab when it was hailed by the 38-year-old woman outside a club in Pool Valley, Brighton, in the early hours of Sunday 19 May 2019, and he drove towards Worthing where she lives.

However towards the end of the journey he repeatedly sexually assaulted her and she was only able to get away when the taxi was near her home.

Detective Constable Angela Harvey of the Brighton & Hove Safeguarding Investigations Unit, said: "We immediately began enquiries, and CCTV and ANPR, together with information from the victim and witnesses, soon led us to Sangsary.

"Everyone should feel safe in a licensed taxi, and we are glad to have been able to help achieve justice for the victim, who gave evidence in court that helped secure the verdict.

"Please always report sexual offences to us, we will always investigate and also ensure you have access to sources of further support and advice."