Perthshire taxi driver guilty of sexually assaulting teenage passenger

A taxi driver who sexually assaulted a teenage passenger said he thought it was all right to do so because she had “smiled” at him.

Mark Smith, 40, drove the girl to a quiet rural road in November last year and groped her after telling her she could pay with “a kiss and a cuddle”.

Smith, of Bankfoot, admitted he was then planning to overcharge the girl for her fare and con his boss out of knowing how much she had paid.

But the terrified 18-year-old, from Perthshire, fled from his cab and reported the incident to police.

Smith was found guilty at Perth Sheriff Court on Thursday. He was placed on the sex offenders register and sentence was deferred by Sheriff Valerie Johnston for the preparation of reports.