The defendant, aged in his 30s, is on trial at the Dunedin District Court facing two charges of kidnapping, two of indecent assault and one of harassment.
The man, who has interim name suppression, pleaded guilty to another count of harassment and a charge under the Harmful Digital Communications Act at the start of the week.
On Monday, the court heard from two victims who were passengers in the defendant’s car only two months apart in 2023.
The first said she was offered a ride by the man while trying to evade an intoxicated male in Princes St.
While nothing seemed amiss at first, the complainant told the court she became uncomfortable when the driver began complimenting her on her appearance.
She gave evidence that he stopped short of her home and requested they play a game of paper-scissors-rock.
When she lost two consecutive rounds, the man allegedly asked for a kiss, which she reluctantly agreed to.
However, the woman said he turned towards her when she aimed for his cheek, then continued to kiss her as she cowered in the passenger seat.
In a recorded interview with police in October 2023, the defendant said that account was untrue.
‘‘No. I don’t remember doing that,’’ he told Detective Constable Darrin Healy.
‘‘That never happened. That’s totally, very untrue.’’
The defendant told police the only kiss came from the complainant at the end of the ride.
‘‘When I dropped her off at home I think she was really thankful.
‘‘She gave me a kiss on the cheek and walked away,’’ he said.
The woman earlier said she had tried to open the doors of the taxi, but they had been locked.
However, the defendant said he only locked the doors when he was alone or transporting his children.
The court heard the man contacted her through social media after looking up her details on a Dunedin City Council rates database, prompting her husband to ward him off.
The defendant said he believed the complaint against him had been ‘‘fabricated’’ because he had caused problems in their marriage.
A second woman said she had been picked up by the man in the Octagon after a night of socialising, mistakenly thinking he was her assigned Uber driver.
She described stopping near her home and being surprised when the man asked for cash or for her to show her breasts.
The complainant said the defendant tried to grab her leg and only unlocked the doors to let her out after she threatened to deface his vehicle’s interior with her lipstick.
The driver, though, said the woman’s breasts were already exposed when they reached their destination, something he had not requested.
He told police he requested payment for the journey and the complainant declined to do so.
She was never locked inside the car, he said.
However, he pleaded guilty to sending the woman dozens of messages online and dropping handwritten notes in her letterbox over a 10-month period.
When Det Const Healy questioned him about his motives for the harassment he said he was ‘‘being silly’’ and put it down to the boredom of sitting in his taxi.
Judge Ajit Swaran Singh, who heard the case in the absence of a jury, reserved his decision on verdicts until May.
