NH Taxi Driver Accused Of Assault Says Sex Was Consensual
MANCHESTER, NH (CBS) - A New Hampshire cab driver accused of sexually assaulting a young woman faced a judge Wednesday.
He says anything that happened between them was consensual.
Ayad Al Dulaimi didn't want people to see his face, but he can't hide from the kidnapping and sex assault charges he's facing.
WBZ-TV's Lauren Leamanczyk reports
The charges stem from a cab ride he gave to a woman leaving "Drynk", a Manchester night club.
Al Dulaimi was supposed to take the victim from Drynk to her apartment in Concord. He claims he couldn't find it, so instead he took her to his place in downtown Manchester. That's where he allegedly sexually assaulted the victim twice.
She told police she was trying to be "compliant" so he would take her home.
From the second they left Drynk the cab driver knew the victim was intoxicated. According to the complaint, she was asked to leave the bar and then she threw up several times in his taxi.
Still, Al Dulaimi claims the sex was consensual.
He has no criminal record; in fact WBZ interviewed him last fall after he fended off robbers at a gas station where he worked.
His lawyer says he'll fight the charges. "He's obviously very scared and very concerned, very confused," says attorney Robin Melone.
But this case has also made people in Manchester afraid.
Worried a safe ride home from the bar may not be so safe after all.
