Halifax taxi driver charged with sexual assault after July incident

Another Halifax taxi driver has been charged with sexual assault after a woman passenger was kissed and touched in the west end of the city on July 15.

Police arrested Saher H. Hamdan, 28, on Aug. 25 when he turned himself in at the Gottingen Street headquarters.

Hamdan is scheduled to appear in Halifax provincial court Oct. 5.

A young woman reported she was assaulted after she was picked by a cab on Lacewood Drive between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on July 15.

Kissed, groped

The complainant said she was taken to a Sherwood Street address and when she asked how much she owed, the driver said his meter wasn't working and it would take a few minutes to fix.

She said the driver then tried to kiss her, locked her door and touched her in a sexual manner over her clothing without her consent.

She was able to get out of the cab and go to a friend's home.

Another driver charged in multiple assaults

It's been a little more than week since Halifax police laid sexual assault charges against another cab driver. Milad Houssen, 44, turned himself into police on Aug. 17. He has been charged with two incidents — one on June 4 and a separate incident July 9.

Houssen is set to appear in Halifax provincial court next month.

Assault reports on the rise

It isn't known which cab company Hamdan or Houssen work for, or whether they are still employed.

Spokeswoman Const. Alicia Joseph said Friday that police do not release the company's name when a charge against a driver is laid.

There have been five reported incidents of sex assault by taxi drivers in the Halifax area so far this year. There were three reported incidents in 2015 and one in 2014, police said.