A view of the High Court of Justice in Cairo, Egypt (Reuters)
The sentence can be appealed.
The Public Prosecution investigations established that the driver disabled the Uber app after picking up the victim to avoid being tracked, before driving her to a deserted area.
The investigations also established that the driver attempted to sexually assault the woman while using a white weapon for coercion.
The victim attempted to defend herself but the attacker beat her up causing her various injuries, added the prosecution.
The victim called for help from two passersby who supported her in the investigations, while the defendant fled the scene.
The Public Prosecution heard testimony from the legal representative of Uber on the matter.
The representative confirmed that the driver did not activate the ride notification after picking up the requested fare to create the appearance of not making any pickups.
They also confirmed that the driver disabled the app shortly after.
Uber also provided the prosecution with satellite images showing the route travelled by the driver to the crime scene.
The Uber representative also told prosecutors that his company had closed down the driver's account after receiving multiple complaints from users who accused him of sexual harassment.
He added that the driver created a new account by using false documentation.
Second time
This is the second time that Uber Egypt has found itself in hot waters over incidents involving sexual harassment or assault by one of its drivers in less than six months.
In April, a Cairo criminal court sentenced another Uber driver accused of attempting to kidnap Habiba El-Shamaa – who died after sustaining serious injuries in the incident – to 15 years in prison and fined him EGP 50,000.
Habiba, 24 at the time, sustained a brain haemorrhage after she jumped out of the car to escape the driver in the case that rattled the public in late February.
She went into a coma for 21 days before passing away.
The attacks against Habiba El-Shamaa and the Nasr City woman led to public calls for the government to mandate that hail-riding apps implement stricter safety measures and thorough criminal background checks on driver applications.
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