Uber driver accused
Woman claims she was followed inside, groped
AN Uber driver followed a woman into her bedroom and sexually assaulted her after giving her a lift home, a jury has been told.
But Shabdal Singh claims he only tried to help the woman inside and did not touch her inappropriately.
The 26-year-old pleaded not guilty in the Southport District Court on Monday to one count of entering premises to commit an indictable offence and two counts of sexual assault.
In his opening remarks to the court, Crown prosecutor Steve Carter said the young woman had gone out with work friends on April 1 last year.
He said she had a few drinks before becoming unwell and her friend organised an Uber ride home from Broadbeach to
Southport about 1am.
Mr Carter said during the trip the woman’s friend was dropped at her place, the woman had vomited and fallen asleep in the back of the car.
“She was woken when she arrived home,” he said.
“She got out and went inside her bedroom and after putting down her wallet saw the defendant standing just inside the doorway of her bedroom.”
The jury of four women and nine men was told the woman tried to push Singh out.
Mr Carter said it was during the struggle that Singh assaulted the woman.
“He grabbed her everywhere, his hands were everywhere,” he said. “During that struggle the defendant grabbed her on the breast … he grabbed her on the vaginal area near the thigh.”
Mr Carter said the woman continued to struggle with Singh and she managed to force him into the living room.
The jury was told the woman’s sister, who lived with her, saw Singh and the pair managed to make him leave.
“Immediately after (the woman) was crying and said to her sister ‘he was touching me’,” Mr Carter said.
Singh took the stand on Monday afternoon and said he never touched the woman inappropriately. He told the jury he had to wake her up in the car when he arrived at the woman’s home.
Singh said he helped her undo her seatbelt and she collapsed on the driveway out of the car.
He described using the torch on his phone to help him see as he helped her up the external stairs, used her keys to open the door before helping her to her bedroom.
When asked if he was invited in the home Singh replied: “I asked and she approved that.”
Singh said he left to go to his next job and that there was no struggle and he was not pushed out of the home.
The trial is expected to conclude on Tuesday.