Cheltenham driving instructor avoids jail for molesting pupil

Juma Kagwa was given a suspended sentence after being found guilty by a jury

A driving instructor who groped a young female pupil during a lesson has avoided jail after being handed a suspended prison sentence.

Juma Kagwa, 47, from Cheltenham, was found guilty of molesting a 20-year-old woman in his driving school car on 15 August last year.

His victim said he had become "smutty", before touching her, over her clothing.

Kagwa, of Horsefair Street, Charlton Kings, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

Sentencing Kagwa at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday, Recorder Don Tait said: "If a young woman cannot trust her driving instructor, who is she supposed to be able to trust? You clearly abused that trust.

"She is a perfectly decent, respectful young woman and she was very brave to be prepared to give evidence against you."

As well as the suspended prison sentence, the father-of-five was ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work and attend 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Kagwa had denied three allegations of sexual assault but was found guilty of two counts at Cirencester Courthouse in October.

'I like your body'

The trial heard that Kagwa's conversation started to become more and more personal with her during her lessons.

He once told her "I like your body and I like your voice".

His behaviour came to a head during a lesson of 15 August 2021, when he began rubbing his hand over the inside of her thigh and towards her groin, and said "do you want to try me?"

She replied: "I don't, no."

He told her to drive to Crickley Hill, a country park near Cheltenham, and after parking the car, asked her to get out and go for a walk with him.

Kagwa told his victim to drive to Crickley Hill, a local beauty spot with a car park

She refused and while waiting in the car sent a Snapchat message to a friend saying "help, I think I'm going to get raped".

Kagwa returned to the car and as she drove away from the country park he touched her again, the court heard.

After driving home, she grabbed her bag and told him she did not want his advances, adding "I don't want to do any of that".

She later texted him saying she did not want any more lessons from him and she blocked his number.

However, Kagwa continued trying to contact her via WhatsApp and he approached her in the street as she walked to work the next day.

When she got into work she broke down and was comforted by concerned colleagues. She then reported Kagwa to the police.

'Proud of myself'

In a victim statement, she said: "At first, I was really embarrassed and ashamed by what happened to me.

"But now I am proud of myself in coming forward and highlighting the issue of being a victim of a sexual assault whilst learning to drive."

Zarif Khan, defending, said his client had lost his job since his conviction.

"(He) now has zero income and no savings and is now in debt," he added.

"He was used to a certain lifestyle courtesy of a decent income.

"That has now vanished. He has now moved to the opposite end of the spectrum and is now on benefits."

Mr Tait told Kagwa: "I have given your circumstances a lot of thought and I feel it is not necessary to send you to prison immediately."

Kagwa has been added to the sex offenders' register for five years, banned him from working as a taxi driver or driving instructor and subject to a five-year restraining order not to contact his victim.