A taxi driver who has served an 18-month jail sentence for a gay sex attack at knifepoint had his conviction quashed by appeal court judges yesterday.Hasham Shah, 39, from Manchester, served his full sentence after the jury found him guilty of false imprisonment and the indecent assault of a student he was driving home. His accuser, who was not named, eventually admitted to the police that he had made up the story and in April was jailed for 15 months for perverting the course of justice. Mr Justice Scott Baker, sitting with Mr Justice Gibbs and Judge Tom Crowther in the appeal court in London, said Mr Shah had picked up his accuser from the Gay Village in Manchester city centre in April 2000. His passenger complained to the police that Mr Shah had locked him in the cab and forced him at knife point to perform indecent acts. Mr Shah maintained it was his accuser who had forced himself upon him. The jury at Manchester crown court did not believe him and he was convicted in January 2001. It was not until November last year that his accuser finally confessed that he had lied

Guardian Unlimited