Taxi driver ‘an innocent man’ being pilloried in public: lawyer

The defence lawyer for a Halifax cabbie who was acquitted of sexual assault in a decision that has drawn a storm of public criticism says his client is an innocent man who is being pilloried unfairly and racially stereotyped.

Luke Craggs says in an emailed news release that 40-year-old Bassam Al-Rawi was found not guilty by Judge Gregory Lenehan for legitimate reasons, including a lack of forensic evidence of sexual activity.

“Many persons have loudly vilified Mr. Al-Rawi. Those most eager to vilify Mr. Al-Rawi seem to be the least eager to gather accurate information,” Craggs said in his release Monday evening.

Craggs said that a large portion of public discussion has perpetrated the “grotesque stereotype” that Al-Rawi’s Arab race and Muslim religion mean he is prone to sexually assault a vulnerable woman.

Also Monday, the Nova Scotia Criminal Lawyers Association issued a statement saying criticism of Lenehan’s “partiality, competence, and his qualifications ... is unfounded and undermines the discussion that is needed to address the prevention of sexual assault.”

“Most importantly, he is fair. He is the type of person that any reasonable, informed member of the public should want as a judge.”

Al-Rawi was charged after police found the woman, in her 20s, intoxicated, unconscious and partially naked in his car in the early hours of May 23, 2015.

A police constable testified during the trial that she saw Al-Rawi shoving the woman’s pants and underwear between the front seats during the arrest. At the time of his arrest, Al-Rawi’s seat was partially reclined and the woman’s legs were resting on the back of the front bucket seat.

Al-Rawi’s pants were undone at the waist and his zipper was down a couple of inches. Evidence of the woman’s DNA was found on Al-Rawi’s mouth, but the bodily substance couldn’t be identified.