Cabbie accused of sex assault wins bail
Strict conditions prohibit man from driving a taxi
The Ottawa taxi driver accused of raping a female passenger in the back seat of his cab remained defiant Friday after winning bail.
Nidal Zeiti, 52, walked out of the Elgin Street courthouse declaring that he was the victim, not his 20-year-old accuser.
His longtime wife and eldest daughter stood by his side and detailed a shopping list of what they see wrong in the case, and argued that the taxi driver would be vindicated if the case goes to trial.
Zeiti was released on strict bail conditions and is forbidden to be alone with any female unless she’s a relative.
The father of four is also prohibited from driving a taxi or a vehicle that resembles one. The court order banning him from being behind the wheel of a cab trumps a City of Ottawa request to suspend his licence, a process that could outlast the accused rapist’s trial.
The justice of the peace’s order shows that Zeiti is not a threat to society, said criminal defence lawyer Henry Burr, who was successful at winning his client’s release after a two-hour hearing.
There is a publication ban on the police evidence presented at Friday’s bail hearing.
His release was granted after he and his wife posted a $12,500 bond. He put up $7,500 and his wife posted the remaining money, which they lose if the cabbie breaches his conditions. If he breaks any of his bail conditions, he could end up living in jail until trial.
According
to
his
release conditions, Zeiti is also banned from being within one kilometre of the alleged victim’s residence.
The accused’s family described him as a hard-working father who clocked long hours at the wheel of a taxi to provide for his wife and four children.
Zeiti, who has worked at Blue Line since 2010, moved from Syria to Canada in the 1990s and is now a Canadian citizen.
He is charged with sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman who hailed a Blue Line cab on Bank Street after 2 a.m. Saturday.
Police say the woman was driven to a residential neighbourhood near McCarthy and Walkley roads where the driver sexually assaulted her in the back seat.
Police detectives seized a taxi earlier this week after a review of surveillance images from a camera inside the cab.
Zeiti next appears in court in December, and until then he has to be at home every night by 11 o’clock, under a court-ordered curfew.