Indian jailed for sexually assaulting Australian schoolgirl

MELBOURNE - An Indian taxi driver will spend three months in jail for sexually assaulting a teenaged schoolgirl in Australia’s Brisbane city.

Baljit Singh, 46, from Eight Mile Plains was sentenced in Brisbane’s District Court Friday for the June 2008 assault of the 13-year-old, The Age reported.

Prosecutor Dzenita Balic informed the court that the teenager, who was dressed in her school uniform, had asked Singh to drive her to a party but changed her mind and asked him to take her to her grandmother’s.

Singh, however, stopped by a Greenslopes park on Brisbane’s southside, where he fondled her and masturbated in front of her.

Defence counsel Michael Byrne said his client’s behaviour was an “aberration” that was completely at odds with his character.

He said Singh was sorry for the spontaneous offence and had since set up an Indian restaurant in Warwick, west of Brisbane, in order to support his wife and children.

Singh was sentenced to 15 months’ jail, to be suspended after three months, the media report said.