Brisbane man who posed as Uber driver found guilty of sexually assaulting five women

A man accused of posing as an Uber driver and sexually assaulting five women he picked up in Brisbane’s nightclub precinct three years ago has been found guilty.

A district court trial heard Sampath Samaranayake, 44, drove his black SUV into Fortitude Valley on separate occasions in September 2018, approached the women, and told them he was their driver for the ride-sharing app.

The prosecution alleged he sexually assaulted each of the women in the car after driving them home.

The man’s lawyer said his client admitted picking the women up, but argued one sexual encounter was consensual, and denied the others had happened.

Earlier this week, he pleaded not guilty to more than a dozen offences including several counts of sexual assault,…