A PRIVATE hire car driver has been suspended after he allegedly touched the thigh of a female passenger.

The driver, who we have not named for legal reasons, has been charged under the Sexual Offences Act after an incident which was reported to police in April.

Glasgow City Council’s licensing chiefs suspended his licence for the unexpired portion of its duration at a meeting yesterday .

The move had been recommended by Police Scotland’s Chief Constable Iain Livingstone.

A police representative told the licensing committee that he was “no longer seen as a fit and proper person to hold a licence”.

She said, if he was to continue driving, he would be seen as a “threat to public safety”.

The driver came to the attention of the police on April 28 this year, the committee heard.

The police representative said three members of the public had got into a private hire car on a main Glasgow street and an alleged sexual assault took place.

He is accused of touching a female passenger’s “inner thigh without consent”, the officer said.

A trial date has yet to be set. The driver’s licence had been set to run until May 2021. He was not present at the licensing meeting.

Councillors on the committee made no comment on the case as it is sub judice.