An Uber driver accused of rape was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison in New Delhi, India, according to Reuters.
The driver, Shiv Kumar Yadav, was found guilty of kidnapping, raping, and criminally intimidating a woman who he picked up using the Uber app on her on her way home from a party in Delhi last December, Reuters reported.
The convicted driver drove the 26-year-old woman to a secluded area, where he then raped her, according to BBC News.
The Uber driver's criminal acts led to New Delhi authorities pulling Uber cars off the road last December, CNN Money noted. Uber applied for a traditional taxi license and was allowed to return to the roads about six weeks later.
The taxi mobile-app service apologized for the incident and said that it "must do better," BBC News noted. The woman sued Uber in a U.S. court, and settled her case out of court.
During the New Delhi sentence hearing for the rapist, Yadav cried when the judge read his life-term sentence, according to BBC news.
"He will serve regressive imprisonment, which shall mean imprisonment until natural death," judge Kaveri Baweja told the Delhi courtroom.
"My client is innocent," DK Mishra, Yadav's lawyer, said. He will appeal against the life sentence.
Sexual assault has been a widespread issue in India, CNN Money reported. A 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and murdered in Delhi on a bus in Dec. 2012. The violent issue incited global outrage.
"Sexual assault is a terrible crime and we're pleased he has now been brought to justice," Amit Jain, president of Uber India, said in a statement after the conviction, CNN Money reported. Uber did not comment on the sentence.
Jain said that Uber is constantly looking for ways to improve its mobile-taxi app service, noted CNN Money.
"Safety is a priority for Uber and we've made many improvements," Jain said. "That said, Uber can always do better, which is why are continually looking for ways to improve safety before, during and after the ride."
