Girl, 13, offered taxi rides for sex court hears
Article from: Herald Sun
Kate Jones
September 25, 2007 02:24pm
A TAXI driver paid a 13-year-old schoolgirl for sex with free taxi rides and cash, a court has heard. Mohammad Jawish, 46, believed the girl was a prostitute, despite being told she was only 13.
Defence counsel Robert Thyssen told the County Court Jawish offered the girl free taxi trips and cash for sex because he was lonely and taxi driving was ``a tough job''.
When arrested, Jawish denied having sex with the girl but DNA evidence caught him out.
Prosecutor Dr Ian Freckelton told the court Jawish, of Reservoir, met the girl in 2003 when he picked her up as a passenger.
He said the Syrian refugee took her shopping for clothes and gave her at least two free cab rides a week.
The court heard the girl told Jawish she was 17, but her older sister told him she was really 13.
Despite this, Jawish had sex with the girl more than 10 times between 2003 and 2004, the court heard.
She reported Jawish to police after he repeatedly called her mobile phone and told her he loved her one night in April, 2004.
Jawish has pleaded guilty to two counts of causing a child to take part in an act of prostitution.
Mr Thyssen said his client had five children and a wife in his home county of Syria, but was forced to leave in 2001 because of his political beliefs.
Jawish, who now has two children to a partner he met in Australia, was depressed and extremely anxious about the the charges against him and regretted what had happened.
The case will continue before Judge Jane Campton in November.