THE Bermudian taxi driver who was accused by an English woman of sexual assault against her three years ago has spoken of how the accusation had irreparably damaged his life.

The 42-year-old St. George's man, who asked to remain anonymous, said he had lost a girlfriend, had been shunned by many former friends, had suffered sleepless nights and had sometimes been physically sick.

He did appear in court charged with sexual assault, but he said the case had been dismissed.

He spoke out after the woman who accused him of the offence, 52-year-old Yolande Lindridge, was convicted of four harassment charges against her ex-husband, Nigel Peck.

Ms Lindridge claimed Mr. Peck, to whom she had been married for 20 years, had raped her and was a paedophile, psychopath and murderer.

A court in Folkestone, England, found that her claims were unfounded and deputy district judge Andrew Vickers said Ms Lindridge's paranoia was "bordering on hysteria". Ms Lindridge is due to be sentenced today.

The taxi driver said his nightmare began after he had taken passenger Ms Lindridge from the former Sonesta Beach Hotel to the airport in March 2001.

After she had arrived back in England, Ms Lindridge made her complaint to the Bermuda Police Service and told an English newspaper: "I was lucky to get away with my life and without being raped. The driver kidnapped me. He was into all sorts of illegal sexual things."

The taxi driver said he was shocked when the police questioned him about the incident and denied that anything untoward had taken place.

"I drove her down the South Shore Road and, as always with tourists, I was pointing out things of interest to her," the taxi driver said.

"We got to John Smith's Bay and she asked to stop and take a picture. So I stopped and she took the picture from inside the car, because it was raining a bit. That's how the police knew I was the driver, because my profile appeared on that picture.

"I dropped her off at the airport two-and-a-half hours before her flight and she gave me a hug and said, 'Take care of yourself'. If she was in shock and had been attacked, I'm sure she would have contacted the police right there and then, but she didn't do that until she got home."

Police questioned the man and officers travelled to England to interview Ms Lindridge. The case went to court several months later and was eventually dismissed.

The whole process took a devastating toll on the man's life.

"I lost a beautiful girlfriend through all this," he said. "At first she stood by me, but then people started to feed her stuff and say, 'Why are you with him?' and she ended up going back home to England.

"It was a trauma, being interviewed by police and appearing in court. It made me physically sick. I couldn't eat and I couldn't sleep. I have two children. How was I supposed to tell them that I had been charged with sexual assault?

"I would like to say to her (Ms Lindridge's) husband, that I sympathise. I know what you must have gone through. She (Ms Lindridge) needs psychiatric help."

The man, who still drives a taxi and also works in the construction industry, said many friends had turned their backs on him, but he was grateful to those who had not.

"What I have learned is that your life can change overnight through no fault of your own," he said. "I have learned to be grateful for the good things in life and most grateful for those who really stood beside me right through this ordeal.

"This thing has done a lot of damage to my character and my reputation. The only way to rebuild my character is to continue being the person I really am. Those who really know me know I could never have done anything like the thing I was accused of."