Ipswich man, Mohammed Miah, awaits sentencing on February 28 for inappropriately touching a seven year old autistic boy.
Miah denied a serious crime. He allegedly touched a boy inappropriately. The boy was seven and autistic. The touching happened in January 2021 on two separate occasions. A jury found him guilty in December by a vote of ten to two.
His sentencing was scheduled for Monday, but the prosecutor couldn’t attend. The hearing is now set for February 27. Miah is now on the sex offenders’ register.
These incidents happened in a taxi while Miah worked as a passenger assistant. The boy has autism and struggles to speak.
The taxi driver alerted the police after seeing Miah touching the boy’s thigh strangely. The driver thought something was wrong.
Miah is 58 years old and has no prior criminal record. He said he touched the boy’s leg to calm him down during movement and to stop seatbelt removal.
Miah claimed it wasn’t for his pleasure. He said the boy found his hand comforting, explaining why he kept it there. He spoke through an interpreter in court.
Miah argued the boy could have moved his hand away if he disliked the touch, implying he would have reacted.
The court watched taxi CCTV footage. One clip seemed to show the boy grabbing Miah’s arm. Miah believed this was for comfort.
Other clips showed Miah’s hand placement. The prosecutor said Miah touched the boy’s genitals over his trousers, while his other hand was near his own groin.
Miah denied these actions, stating he was just clenching his fist due to pain from the cold. He said his hand moved because of the car’s motion, and he insisted he was looking out the window.