An Indian-origin Uber driver convicted of raping a 17-year-old passenger in New Zealand was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison. 37-year-old Satwinder Singh was previously found guilty on all four charges he was formally facing – three of indecent assault and one of rape – in connection with a February 2023 incident.
The Uber driver appeared in the Hamilton District Court for sentencing on Wednesday, according to an NZ Herald report. Judge Tini Clark oversaw his sentencing, during which defence counsel Nadine Baier’s request for leniency, citing his Sikh religion, was rejected.
The judge had initially suggested an eight-year jail sentence. However, Clark brought period down, accounting for a 10% discount due to arguments detailing his previous good character and upbringing.
Disclaimer: This story includes mentions of rape.
Indian-origin Uber driver New Zealand rape case hearing
While contending for a discount, as per the NZ Herald, Baier said of Satwinder Singh, “He, as you will see, is a follower of the Sikh religion, so prison would place a hardship on him as opposed to someone who was born and raised in New Zealand.” The culprit’s lawyer further pushed that prison would be “disproportionately severe on him.”
The judge ultimately turned down the plea, noting that Singh was a Uber driver in New Zealand. Clark based her opposition on the vision that if Satwinder was granted leniency, anyone with English as a second language would ask “for some sort of special credit.”
The report identified Singh as a Sikh Indian who had lived in New Zealand for 11 years, and had been living in a local Indian community.
About Indian-origin Uber driver Satwinder Singh and New Zealand teen rape case
As per the reports of the 11 February 2023 incident, Singh chose to turn off his GPS and move to side street to rape a 17-year-old victim. He was meant to drive the individual to 7 km across he Waikato River in central Hamilton, according to NZ Herald. The victim had booked an Uber from Speight’s Ale House to meet some friends.
Initial confusion resulted in Singh driving up to the drop-off point instead of the pub pick-up point. The trip was supposed to be just minutes-long. However, Singh turned off the GPS as he was nearing the original destination. The move suggested that Singh’s trip had been completed.
Judge Clark has since found that Satwinder ended up driving the teen to Peachgrove Rd instead, as his sexual interest was “piqued.” He is said to have asked the 17-year-old if she was wearing an underwear as her dress slipped up her legs during the cab ride.
As per the NZ Herald report, Singh started touching and rubbing the girl’s thigh even though the victim showed signs of negation. The teen is believed to have said “no can you not?” and “get off me,” showing signs of non-consent. But Singh chose to lock the car doors, put the woman’s seat in the recline position, and kissed her and touched her breasts.
Climbing on top of her, he then rapped her. The victim described the harrowing experience as “very rough and very hurtful.” Later one, as the victim was in a “distressed state,” Singh dropped her off at her friend’s residence. The police was contacted thereafter.
The victim impact statement, the victim shared the traumatic memories of the night. According to NZ Herald, the judge noted that the teen was excited to meet up with her friends, who were, in turn, waiting for her on the street. Judge Clark also maintained that even though the victim had been drinking, what Satwinder did to her was unwarranted, as she was entitled to being taken to her destination safely.
“The victim should now be poised to leave home, attend university, and instead, what I have read about is that she simply cannot do so because this event has made her feel like a completely different person,” the judge called out. Due to fears linked to her safety, the victim now lives with her parents and shows disinterest in leaving the place for longer spans of time.
On top of that, Judge Clark slammed contradictory claims made by Singh’s side to defend the charges. She believes the driver was “trying to lie his way out of it,” as per the New Zealand media report, as the defence’s submissions at trial claimed that the encounter was consensual.
At other times, Singh’s lawyer also tried to argue that the incident never actually happened, and then also suggested that Satwinder was the one to reject the teen passenger’s sexual advances.
Judge Clark has rejected all these claims.
Satwinder Singh’s upbringing called out and vetting questioned
On the flip side, the perpetrator’s defence counsel also argued that the Uber driver has a “distorted view” of New Zealand women, whom he believes to be “forward and promiscuous,” as per the NZ Herald.
Judge Clark agreed to the claims to some extent, stating, his upbringing “may well have created in him a level of distorted thinking about how New Zealand women behave.” However, the same does did not account for any criticism of the victim, she added. It spoke more about how his “unfortunate” upbringing may have fuelled his behaviour towards women.
““I’m not sure what the vetting is for an Uber driver … but there’s an expectation on behalf of customers and the general public that drivers of such vehicles are people that you are safe with,” Judge Clark added, as per the report. “And clearly, on this occasion, [the victim] was not safe from Mr Singh.”
