Uber Driver Jailed After Woman Tweets Disturbing Pics From His 'Racist' Attack

A woman who was punched in the face and called a "black c***" by an Uber driver said he showed "no remorse" when he was finally sentenced in court.

Shahab Akbar, 33, received a 16-week suspended sentence and was ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service for the attack on Taleka White, 27, in London, England.

At the time, Ms. White documented the incident on Twitter by posting pictures of her injuries, which included red knuckles, a bloodied hand and a bruised face.

She said Akbar became aggressive, hit her twice and dragged her out of the Uber on September 23. He also hurled racist insults at her.

Akbar's defense had argued it was an "isolated incident" and that he is a man of good character.

But Ms. White told the Evening Standard Akbar didn't seem sorry for what he'd done. She said,

I think more than anything I wanted him to admit to what he had done. He has shown no remorse at all and what he did was quite serious. In court, they said he was of good character - good character would have been to hold his hands up after he was found guilty and offer an apology. It was insulting for him to say that he was ashamed and embarrassed by what happened. He is just upset that he got caught.

She said the attack has made her scared of taking Ubers in the future.

Ms. White tweeted her joy at Akbar's conviction.

A spokesperson for Uber said,

We were appalled by this horrific incident. Uber does not tolerate violence or discrimination of any kind. We assisted the police with their investigation and immediately stopped this licensed driver from being able to use our app.

Akbar lost his right to drive for Uber and was ordered to pay more than $1,000 in court costs and compensation.

Citations: Evening Standard