GUILTY: Romanian Uber Driver Who Ripped-Off Vulnerable Blind Singer

Convicted: Cornel Mihai

A greedy Uber driver has been convicted of heartlessly exploiting a celebrated blind singer by using her phone to give himself a £20 tip and 5-star rating.

Cornel Mihai, 32, tricked 39 year-old Victoria Oruwari into handing over her iPhone at the end of the £51 journey and awarded himself the bonus’ without her knowledge.

The Romanian-born dad-of-two, of Thorpe Road, Barking fought the case, but was convicted yesterday of fraud by false representation and will be sentenced on February 3.

Ms Oruwari was alone and desperate to get home from London Bridge Station at 10.00pm on June 29 and was forced to book the BMW Uber cab because there were no trains to East Croydon.

“It has reiterated the fact I am vulnerable and more susceptible to crime and being taken advantage of, but to lead a full life I have to trust people,” the soprano singer told Croydon Magistrates Court.

“That trust has been shaken, but I am determined to continue trusting in people,” added Ms Oruwari, who has performed at the Royal Opera House, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Guildhall London and international venues.

She was a finalist on BBC’s ‘All Together Now’ and has performed with the Birmingham City Orchestra, Perth City Orchestra and the Royal Navy Brass Band.

Mihai fought the case all the way and still has not returned the £20 tip, which he continues to insist he did not award himself.

Deceived: Victoria Oruwari 

She told the court Mihai enquired about her sight loss during the journey, but he insisted this was not true. “I felt irritated because it was none of his business , but as I was in his car I thought it best to be polite.

“He said I was getting on with life well and was happy and I said: ‘Yes. There’s nothing to be sad about.’

“He told me he could not end the trip on his App and asked if could hand him my phone to end it. I thought it was a little odd, but there was nothing in his behaviour to make me think I wasn’t safe.

“I did not think anything fishy was going on, but I was handing him a lot of trust because of the information on the phone,” she told the court.

She turned off her phone’s screenreader function, which allows her to use it before handing it over to Mihai and only discovered the tip once she was home.

“I was shocked that I had been charged twice the fare, although I knew there would be a price surge, but also that the driver had been rated five-star and tipped twenty pounds.

“The only time I did not have the phone was when I gave it to him and had to switch off the screenreader so couldn’t hear what was happening.”

Uber immediately refunded Ms Oruwari the fare and reported Mihai to the police and removed him from their approved drivers’ database.

Mihai denied using Ms Oruwari’s iPhone. “I finished this journey on my phone,” he told the trial. “I want to work honestly.”

His lawyer Edward Seller told the court: “We are talking about twenty pounds and the loss of his livelihood. He has a lot more to lose than gain.”

Magistrate Pat Heslop announced: “We accept the evidence of the complainant, who gave a credible account of the events.

“Nothing has been suggested as to how this happened otherwise and we find it difficult to accept Mr. Mihai wouldn’t have known Ms Oruwari had issues with her sight.”

Prosecutor Julie Idowu told the court: “The Crown’s case is that this defendant made a false representation that he needed to use the complainant’s phone to end the journey and this was in order to make a gain for himself.

“The Crown also note the complainant is a vulnerable individual, is registered blind with a total loss of sight since the age of six.”