Cabbie not guilty of indecently assaulting radio host Jay-Jay Feeney

Auckland taxi driver Baljeet Singh has been found not guilty of groping radio host Jay-Jay Feeney...
Auckland taxi driver Baljeet Singh has been found not guilty of groping radio host Jay-Jay Feeney. Photos: NZ Herald
An Auckland taxi driver been found not guilty of indecently assaulting radio personality Jay-Jay Feeney.

Baljeet Singh (29) has been on trial in the Auckland District Court on one charge of indecent assault, laid after an alleged incident during the early hours of October 1, 2017.

He had pleaded not guilty, maintaining he never touched Feeney inappropriately.

Singh smiled, hugging his family and lawyer Marie Dyhrberg QC after the verdict.

Feeney was not in court for the verdict.

Two years ago - on the evening of September 30 - Feeney was on Ponsonby Rd having dinner with friends and drinking at several popular bars.

She hailed a cab about 1am to return home to her Grey Lynn apartment.

Feeney hopped into Singh's taxi, sitting in the front seat.

She said she had consumed "a few drinks" and was "intoxicated" but not "really drunk".

"I wasn't being silly, I wasn't falling over or anything like that," she said in evidence last week.

Feeney told the court that Singh asked her if she was single and told her: "I'll be your boyfriend, I'll be your boyfriend" when she revealed she had recently separated from he husband.

Feeney said she told him "no" and claimed he then reached over and stroked her hand.

She told him "no" again but said he persisted with his advances and told her she was "beautiful" and remarked that she had "really nice breasts".

Then she said Singh told her: "I touch your breasts, I touch your breasts".

After arriving at her home and Singh parking across the road, Feeney said she was anxious to pay and leave.

"I was quite keen to pay and go," she said. "So I got my Eftpos out."

"No pay, I touch your breasts. No pay, I touch your breasts," Feeney said Singh told her.

Feeney said she replied: "No, I'm paying."

It took her "a while to convince him", she added.

Then, Feeney claimed Singh allegedly "leaned down and put his hand down into my bra".

As Feeney left the cab, she claimed the driver followed her across the road.

After returning to her apartment she peered out her window and said she saw Singh "standing in the middle of the road... staring up".

The radio host said she felt awful, in shock, and traumatised.

When questioned by police Singh confirmed Feeney was one of his passengers but denied any wrongdoing whatsoever, the court heard.

Dyhrberg told the jury this week that Feeney was lying.

"One party is truthful, the other party is lying," Dyhrberg said.

"Jay-Jay Harvey is lying when she says the defendant touched her breast on that evening.

"Can you trust what she says? The defence says absolutely not."