A taxi driver from Morden who locked a teenage passenger in his cab and sexually assaulted her has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Naeem Ahmed, 41, of Lynmouth Road, was found guilty of sexual assault by penetration on February 1, after denying locking the 18-year-old girl from Kingston in the taxi after she had been out with friends in Wimbledon on May 18 last year.

Kingston Crown Court heard at the sentencing hearing this morning that Ahmed, a former petty officer in the Pakistani Navy, came to Britain in 1998 and was a "supportive family man".

"Up to this point, he led a very commendable life with no indication of sex issues arising," Ahmed's solicitor Andrew Henley said.

"This was a serious isolated matter and there is nothing to indicate beyond that he is going to be a danger."

Ahmed was working as a taxi driver for Wimbledon Cab Services when the attack happened and Mr Recorder Shorrock said the offence was aggravated by Ahmed detaining his victim in the car and breaching the trust placed in him as a licensed taxi driver.

Sentencing Ahmed to four-and-a-half years imprisonment, he said: "This was an 18-year-old girl who was a fare in your taxi late at night being taken home by you.

"You abused your position of trust as a taxi driver. You locked a young girl in your taxi so she could not escape.

"This was a horrendous experience for her. Quite frankly, the idea that she consented or was the initiator was quite ridiculous and you made her relive the experience by giving evidence in the witness box."

Mr Recorder Shorrock also imposed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, prohibiting Ahmed from working as a taxi driver until further notice.