A CABBIE who sexually assaulted two women passengers in separate incidents has been freed - but banned indefinitely from working as a taxi driver.

Zaheer Arshad, 29, of Richmond Hill Street, Accrington, molested an 18-year-old in his vehicle after taking her to an isolated wooded area in the early hours in February.

He was arrested, bailed and then struck again within weeks, trapping the second victim in a minibus and leaving her screaming and crying as she arrived home.

The attacks prompted outrage at the time after he was allowed to continue his job as a private hire driver by Hyndburn Council after his first arrest because he had not be convicted.

Regulations have since been changed to close to loophole.

Arshad, said to have a mental age of 12, admitted two counts of sexual assault. The defendant, who had been on remand in custody for 145 days, was given a community order with three years supervision and must attend the community sex offenders' programme.

He was prohibibited from working as a private hire driver or operator indefinitely and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.

Sentencing, Judge Beverley Lunt told Burnley Crown Court that if she gave the defendant a short prison term he would be released within days without any control over him.

She continued: "The way to protect the public from you, it seems to me, is not to just give you a short sentence so you can walk the streets again and continue, possibly, to be a danger, but to make sure your problems are treated."

David Macro, prosecuting, told the court on February 4, an 18-year-old girl was in the cab whenArshad turned off into a secluded wooded area near Baxenden, exposed himself and tried to get the teenager to touch him and fondled her thighs. The defendant let her out and drove off and the victim walked along the main road to the Rising Bridge pub where she was met by a friend's father.

Arshad was arrested and questioned on February 10, accepted he had been the driver, but denied any wrongdoing.

Mr Macro said on March 10, the second victim had been out with friends and they ended up at CB Taxis, Church Street, Accrington. The passenger asked how much the fare would be and the defendant said it would cost nothing. He then stopped at the side of her home and it appeared the doors had been locked and she was trapped in the cab.

The prosecutor said the defendant then grabbed the woman's arm, pulled her towards him and touched her body over her clothes and tried to kiss her. The victim eventually managed to break free and got out of the vehicle.

Jeffrey Samuels, defending, said Arshad had made a rather clumsy attempt to "come on," to the victims. They were drunk, he misread the signals and "thought flirtatiousness was in the air."