Former Halifax taxi driver who fled Canada after sexual assault conviction extradited from Italy
CTV
A former Halifax taxi driver who fled the country after being convicted of sexually assaulting a passenger has been extradited from Italy to Canada.
A former Halifax taxi driver who fled the country after being convicted of sexually assaulting a passenger has been extradited from Italy to Canada.
Nova Scotia’s Public Prosecution Service (PPS) says Bassam Al-Rawi returned to Canadian soil Thursday and will serve the remainder of his sentence for his sexual assault conviction.
Al-Rawi was found guilty in August 2020 of sexually assaulting a passenger in Halifax in 2012. He was sentenced to two years in prison in December 2020.
The PPS says Al-Rawi was released on bail while he was trying to appeal his conviction with the Supreme Court of Canada. He was released on strict conditions, including that he live in Ottawa with his surety.
However, authorities learned in May 2022 that Al-Rawi had travelled to Montreal, met his wife and one-year-old son, and fled to Iraq.
According to a news release, Al-Rawi was arrested in Italy on Sept. 8, 2023. He tried to appeal his extradition, but the Italian Court of Appeal ordered that he be sent back to Canada to complete his sentence.
The PPS says the extradition process typically spans several years, but it was expedited in this case through the collaborative efforts of multiple international agencies.
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