Taxi driver Baljeet Singh pictured yesterday at the start of his trial in the Auckland District Court. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Taxi driver Baljeet Singh pictured yesterday at the start of his trial in the Auckland District Court. Photo / Jason Oxenham
A police interview with taxi driver Baljeet Singh, made on the day of his arrest, in which he claimed Jay-Jay Feeney was verbally abusive to other drivers and was "very drunk" when he drove her home, has been played in court.
Singh's trial for allegedly indecently assaulting the radio hostbegan yesterday in the Auckland District Court before a jury and Judge Nevin Dawson.
Feeney, the long-time host of The Edge's breakfast show, waived her right to suppression and had talked about her allegations on social media.
Police officer Tavae Tavae told the court about searching Singh's home.
He had met the taxi driver on his front steps and explained the warrant which led to the seizure of two phones, a USB drive and his silver Prius vehicle.
Tavae said that at one point Singh had wanted to speak in private.
"He wanted to speak in private because his mother had come out from the house as well.
"He didn't want his mother to hear what we were talking about."
In the video interview conducted on November 30 last year, Singh's answers were relayed to Tavae with the assistance of a translator who spoke Punjabi.
The translator also worked as a police communicator for northern communications, the court heard.
Singh said that he could not exactly remember working two months prior but said he would have been working as per his routine.
He was then shown a photo of Feeney and asked if he recognised her.
He told police that she "waved him down" and had been refused by other taxi drivers for swearing and being verbally abusive, the translator said.
"She was just going on and on about the same thing - about being rejected," the translator relayed.
He did not know she had been refused by other drivers until she told him herself in the taxi, Singh told the translator.
Feeney was "very drunk" and stumbled when out of the car, falling backwards and grabbing on to the car for support, Singh said.
"These kinds of customers do stand out in a crowd."
A customer before her had given the wrong address, Singh said.
In the interview Singh said he had worked for Central Smart Cabs when he picked up Feeney but worked for Reliable Cabs at the time of his arrest.
Earlier today senior constable Reginald Alofa told the court that a specialist had tried to extract the footage of inside taxi from the hard drive in the car.
"He was unsuccessful in doing so."
Yesterday, Crown prosecutor Nick Webby made his opening address.
