A sex-starved Wigan motorist who molested a young woman after she mistook him for a taxi driver as he prowled around a town centre at 4am was jailed for four years today.
Married Barry Smith, 58, was driving around the streets on a Saturday night looking for unsuspecting females to pick up when he was flagged down by a woman who had been drinking with friends.
The 29-year old got into the front seat of his Silver Nissan X-Trail thinking it was a private hire vehicle, but after Smith drove her home, he locked the doors, asked her to perform a sex act on him then grabbed her hand.
The woman managed to escape after screaming for help.
Smith, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, was caught two weeks later after his car was stopped by a genuine taxi driver who recognised the Nissan from a public appeal for help to find a bogus cabbie preying on girls in the area.
At the time Smith had another young woman with him inside the vehicle.
Smith later said he often drove round the streets at night as his marriage had broken down and he would drive round talking on the phone to a woman friend.
But at Liverpool Crown Court, he was found guilty of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.
Greater Manchester Police said the attack occurred a 4.10am on Sunday 14 October 2012, after the woman had become separated from friends following a night out in Wigan and flagged down what she thought was a taxi in the town centre.
She was driven to her home in a district of the town but when she asked how much the fare was, Smith told her she did not need to pay him – and instead he asked her to perform a sex act on him.
The woman told the court: ”He said it was because his wife did not give him much at all and that I was a good looking girl.
”I was shocked. I said I didn’t understand what he meant. I just wanted to get out of the car. He had locked the doors when I got in. He opened his pants and exposed himself to me.”
The woman said Smith grabbed her hand and forced her to touch him intimately and she tried to pull her hand away. She added: ”I was screaming for him to let me out of the car.
”He said, ‘what was I creating a fuss for?’ and he let me out of the car. I telephoned my friend and told her what had happened. He drove off and I felt sick.”
The victim rang the police and made a statement. The car was seen on CCTV footage but not the registration plate and police made a public appeal for information.
On Saturday, October 27 two women were in the town centre waiting for a lift home and saw a car matching the wanted Nissan driving past them three times and they noted the registration number and looked at the driver.
One approached a nearby taxi driver and told him the Nissan had been driving around the town centre and the driver might be the same motorist wanted by the police for pretending to be a taxi driver trying to pick up young girls
Later the genuine cabbie spotted the Nissan and noticed a lone woman walking in the same direction and so turned his car round.
He saw the woman get into the front passenger seat and became concerned when she disappeared from view. He followed, overtook the Nissan and pulled in front of it, making it stop.
He ran to the vehicle and spoke to the woman but did not hear her reply because Smith talked over her. In a panicked state she fled and the driver snatched the ignition keys and flagged down a passing police patrol car.
When questioned Smith admitted he had given a woman a ride home on October 14 and refused any money but denied any sexual activity.
He described himself as ‘a Good Samaritan’ and said he had picked up the woman in the later incident as she appeared distressed and wanted to help her. He denied any wrongdoing.
But after the case Det Con Craig Hurst of Greater Manchester Police said: “Smith drove around that night searching the streets for a vulnerable woman to pick up and exploit.
“She was trying to flag down a taxi and when Smith stopped she thought he was a taxi driver and got in.
“When she asked how much the fare was, he said he did not want any money and she could pay him in other ways. Smith went on to sexually assault her before she managed to escape.
“Smith could have gone on to commit further crimes if it was not for the fast acting taxi driver who followed his car and detained him until the police arrived.
“Smith has denied his guilt throughout making his victim stand up in court and relive her ordeal all over again.
“Thankfully, she showed the courage to come forward and help us with our investigation and put Smith where he belongs; behind bars.”
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