Licence expired for former taxi driver acquitted in sex assault

A former Halifax taxi driver who was acquitted earlier this month of sexual assault has let his taxi licence expire, the Halifax Regional Municipality said Tuesday.

Bassam Al-Rawi's taxi driving licence expired onMarch 10 at 11:59 p.m., city spokesperson Brendan Elliott said. The municipality had deemed the licence "non-operational" before it expired.

"The municipality's taxi and limousine licensing office has now ended its review of Al-Rawi's taxi driver's licence status," said Elliott.

"The municipality now considers the matter closed and will not be conducting any further investigation into Al-Rawi's standing as a driver."

In 2015, Al-Rawi was charged with sexually assaulting a passenger after police found him parked in his cab with his pants unbuttoned and a woman passed out in the back seat.

He was acquitted of that charge twoweeks ago. The Crown has since appealed the decision amidpublic outrage about the verdict and comments by the presiding judge.

If Al-Rawi applies for a taxi licence at a later date, Elliott said court transcripts from Al-Rawi's trial and "any other relevant information" will be on record in his file.