Taxi driver's licence revoked amid sex assault allegation

A Winnipeg taxi driver who was accused of sexually assaulting a woman two years ago had his licence revoked, after the woman appealed to the province's taxi board to keep him off the streets.

Kelly Moulton appeared before the Manitoba Taxicab Board on Wednesday to speak against the man, who she said had groped and kissed her against her will in November 2009.

After some deliberation, the board revoked the driver's taxicab licence, much to Moulton's relief.

"It's not just for myself but it's also for other females out there, and also children and teenagers," she told CBC News after the hearing.

Moulton said she took a taxi to her doctor's office that day. After returning home, the driver she had met earlier returned to her door and invited her to retrieve something that she had left in his vehicle.

'He scarred me for life'

Moulton alleged that she approached the cab and at that point, she was groped and kissed.

"I was shocked. He was strong, he hurt me, he bruised me," she said. "You know, he scarred me for life."

Moulton reported the alleged incident to police. Criminal charges were laid against the taxi driver, but they were later stayed.

But the allegations were enough for the taxicab board to suspend the man's licence for the second time in seven years.

The man went to the board on Wednesday in an attempt to get his licence back.

"He wants to get his licence back to be around, like, the public and around females?" Moulton said. "There's no way I'm going to let him get away with that."

The man's lawyer, Paul Walsh, told CBC News that his client maintains that he did nothing wrong.

Whatever incident happened that day took place when Moulton was no longer a fare, Walsh added.

The driver plans to appeal the Manitoba Taxicab Board's decision.

The board has held 15 hearings about alleged sexual assaults since 2008.