A minicab driver who exposed himself to a passenger he picked up has been given a suspended sentence and put on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

Nadeem Afzal, of Limes Avenue, Chigwell, was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, on Thursday, January 2 at Kingston Crown Court.

A 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) was also made.

He pleaded guilty to one charge of exposure contrary to the Sexual Offences Act 2003, at a hearing on November 6, 2019.

Speaking after the trial, Sgt Jonny Harris, from the Met's Roads and Transport Command, said: "Afzal preyed on this female passenger in his minicab and was extremely persistent in his sexual advances and behaviour, leaving the passenger feeling scared and vulnerable. The victim showed courage coming forward to police and reporting Afzal, who is now a registered sex offender and can no longer work as a cab driver."

The victim, a woman aged in her early 20s, had been out in north London on the night of October 31. Early the next morning, she requested an Uber vehicle and Afzal arrived to pick her up.

About 20 minutes into the journey, Afzal, 51, exposed himself to the woman and asked her several times to touch him and perform a sex act, which she refused. She made an audio recording of the conversation as she rejected his advances.

After nearly two hours, she was dropped at a fast-food restaurant near her home in south London. The journey should have taken 40 minutes.

Once she was home, she called the police and an investigation was launched.

Afzal was quickly identified and charged on August 19, 2019 with one count of exposure.

Mandy McGregor, head of transport policing and community safety at TfL, said: "Nobody should ever be subjected to this kind of revolting and predatory behaviour and we are pleased to hear that Afzal has been brought to justice for his actions.

"We applaud the bravery of the victim for coming forward. We expect the highest standards from TfL licensed taxi and private hire drivers, which is why Afzal is no longer a licensed driver. We take every report seriously so it can be investigated by the police."

Anyone who has been a victim of crime is asked to contact 999 in an emergency. Victims can also report non-urgent crimes by call 101, tweeting @MetCC or online https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously