A FORMER taxi firm owner has avoided having to sign the sex offenders’ register despite being guilty of sexual assault.

Shaukat Hussain founded City Taxis, Worcester, some years ago, and, while no longer running the firm at the time of the assault, was working for it, the court heard yesterday.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she turned to anti-depressants following the incident and “bought really baggy unflattering clothes”.

“I came home that night in floods of tears,” she told the Worcester News. “It would have been my word against his. It caused me a big headache.”

The incident took place on January 8, with 63-year-old Hussain arrested and charged with sexual touching without consent on June 6.

Mary Toussaint, defending, pleaded with magistrates to give her client a community order less than 12 months, which would prevent him having to sign the sex offenders’ register.

The solicitor said Hussain, of Victoria Avenue, Worcester, is “struggling to come to terms with the matter” and has a “lot of medical matters and this is of particular concern to him and his health”.

She said the defendant has been “involved with a taxi business for some time, and as we have heard, in recent times, has given it up, more or less”.

“He just works on and off because he has had this interest and it’s been his life,” added Mrs Toussant.

“At the time of the incident he had been going in there to help out.

"He was not a manager at the time.”

She argued, bearing in mind he is “deemed to be of low risk” and has not been convicted of anything previously for 13 years, he should not be forced to sign the register.

The court heard that the sexual touching took place over the victim’s clothes.

Hussain was sentenced yesterday at Worcester Magistrates’ Court, having initially been found guilty at a hearing on Tuesday (September 25).

Richard Poppleton, chair of the bench, said he and his colleagues took into account Hussain’s "health and age and in the circumstance, you are now a low risk”.

He ordered the defendant to pay £500 in compensation to the victim and was given a 10-month community order, as well as made to pay a further £625 in court costs.

The victim said Hussain is a danger to women in the area and hoped he would lose his taxi licence.