Former cabbie collapses at sentencing

A former Ottawa taxi driver convicted of sexual assault after he kissed a female passenger collapsed while being sentenced Wednesday.

Jatinder Singh was in the midst of being given his sentence by Ontario Court Justice Peter Coulson when the 37-year-old went pale and keeled over.

Courthouse security rushed in, and Singh was put in the recovery position until paramedics arrived. He was taken to hospital by ambulance.

His lawyer, Paul Lewandowski, who described the incident as a panic attack of some sort, said Wednesday afternoon he didn’t know what the diagnosis was, but that Singh has a heart condition.

Sentencing was postponed until next Wednesday.

Singh was convicted last month of sexual assault for kissing a female passenger in his taxi in the early hours of Nov. 1, 2012.

The woman testified that, as she leaned forward between the two front seats to pay for her ride home, Singh trapped her head against a seat and kissed her. She ran from the cab, abandoning her purse.

The defence argued that Singh should receive a conditional discharge.

Lewandowski said the incident, which lasted seconds, was at the lower end of the scale of sexual assaults. Singh lost his job as a taxi driver and his taxi driver’s licence when he was charged, he said.

He said Singh is a family man with no prior criminal record who is working two jobs — one full-time and one on weekends — to support his family.

Singh’s wife and a handful of relatives and friends were in the courtroom supporting him.

“Absolutely no public good would be served by putting Mr. Singh in jail,” Lewandowski told the court, saying his sentence would be better served through community service than jail time.

The Crown argued that Singh should receive 30 to 60 days of real jail plus nine months’ probation.

“He has cast a shadow over all taxi drivers,” said Crown attorney Kerry McVey.