An Auckland Uber driver who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old boy has failed in an appeal of his conviction and sentence in a bid to avoid deportation. "Rather, in his mind and because Mr Mittal was in control of the car he was afraid what would happen to him if he did not." Following his conviction, Mittal was served with a deportation liability notice. "This was 'skin-on-skin' offending committed against a 14-year-old boy entrusted to Mr Mittal's care for a confined purpose. "Mr Mittal may have thought he had (the boy's) consent, but consent is not a defence to the charge, nor did the judge find that Mr Mittal reasonably formed that view.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 25, 2019 03:00 UTC