Taxi driver (57) ‘overjoyed’ after he’s cleared of raping teenage passenger

A TAXI driver from north Belfast has been cleared of raping a passenger after it emerged the Crown was offering “no further evidence” against him.

William Harbinson (57) was charged with three offences after an incident with a female passenger in September 2017.

Following his acquittal at Belfast Crown Court, he said: “I’m an innocent man and now I’m going to spend Christmas with my family.

“I’m overjoyed at what’s happened today. I’ve always said I was innocent. This has been hanging over my head for over two years and in that time I’ve had a stroke and I can hardly walk. I’m blaming all the stress of the last two years for my stroke.”

Mr Harbinson picked up the 17-year-old complainant after she was ejected from a Belfast nightclub in the early hours of September 2, 2017.

It was the Crown’s case that after offering her a beer, Mr Harbinson forced himself on her in the back seat of the taxi.

When he was later arrested and interviewed about her allegations, he told police that they had sex but claimed it was consensual.

Earlier in the trial, he said that after picking the passenger up, she told him he was “cool” and, after he gave her two beers, leaned over, gave him a kiss and said she liked older men.

Mr Harbinson, from the Highfield area of the city, also made the case that after having consensual sex, he dropped her to her destination, where she asked for his number, kissed him and then “walked away”.

As the hearing was due to enter its second day, prosecuting barrister Rick Weir QC told the jury: “I am indicating on behalf of the Crown we are intend to offer no further evidence.”

Judge Stephen Fowler QC then told the jurors they were to return a verdict of “not guilty by direction of the judge” on the three charges levelled against Mr Harbinson, namely rape and two counts of sexual assault.

The judge dismissed the jury and told Harbinson: “You are free to go.”