Ealing Cabbie Guilty of Trying To Groom Teenager

Spyros Ntounis picked up 14-year-old in taxi and then continued to message her

A cab driver from Ealing has been found guilty of attempting to groom a girl under 16.

Spyros Ntounis, 35 of Drayton Green Road, W13 was found guilty today, Monday, 19 February, following a three-day trial at Kingston Crown Court.

He was brought to justice following an investigation by the Met's Roads and Transport Policing Command Taxi and Private Hire Policing Team.

Ntounis, a private-hire vehicle driver, started committing the offence on Saturday, 22 April 2017 at 21:28hrs, when he picked up a 14-year-old girl from an address in Barnes.

The girl got into the backseat of the car and once the journey started, Ntounis engaged her in conversation, much of which was inappropriate. He gave her his telephone number in case she ever needed a cab in the future, but got her to text him so that he would know if it was her.

Near to the end of the journey, Ntounis slowed down so much that the girl asked him why. He told her it was so he could spend more time her. They arrived at the victim's address and she went inside.

Ntounis then sent several messages to the girl on WhatsApp, which she replied to. Becoming concerned about the interaction, the girl told her parents. They blocked Ntounis's messages on WhatsApp and informed police. Undeterred, he later texted her directly.

In order to get written evidence, the parents advised their daughter to respond to the texts before blocking those messages as well. In the messages, Ntounis admitted he had realised her age. The parents then reported this to police as well.

Police officers carried out a search of Ntounis's home address, however he was not there. They later managed to contact Ntounis by phone and arranged for him to attend a north London police station on 30 May where he was cautioned. He gave a no comment interview.

Ntounis was released under investigation for enquiries to progress. Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, a charge of attempting to meet girl under 16 following sexual grooming was authorised.

Ntounis was summonsed to court by Postal Charge and Requisition.

Ntounis appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on 18 July 2017 where he pleaded not guilty. He will be sentenced on a date to be confirmed.

Inspector Jas Sandhu, Met's Roads and Transport Policing Command said: "The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) will not tolerate any offences committed upon passengers of taxi and private hire vehicles and will robustly pursue offenders.

"Thanks to the actions by the victim and her family and the Met's investigation, a dangerous individual's actions have been stopped from going any further."

Siwan Hayward, Transport for London's Head of Transport Policing, said: "We take all allegations against licensed Taxi and Private Hire drivers extremely seriously and as soon as we were made aware of this offence we suspended this driver's licence immediately. As this case shows, reporting any behaviour that makes you feel uncomfortable is very important. It will be taken seriously and by working closely with the police we will fully investigate all allegations, bring offenders to justice and push for the toughest penalties possible."

Ntounis will be sentenced on a date to be confirmed.

19 February 2018