The parents of a teenage girl, who was sexually molested by a taxi driver in his cab, are planning to sue Bradford Council.

Pervert Naseem Abbas was granted a Hackney Carriage licence - even though councillors knew he had a previous conviction for an assault.

But Abbas, 24, abused the innocent youngster during a terrifying ordeal which, her parents say, has "destroyed" her life. Now their solicitor is pursuing a claim that the Council was negligent in its duties.

Abbas, of Grey Friar Walk, Great Horton, Bradford, was jailed for three years at Bradford Crown Court last week after he was convicted of indecent assault.

The jury heard how Abbas drove the girl to a quiet cul-de-sac to commit the offence after dropping off her relatives.

She told the court how she screamed for her dad and thought the taxi driver was going to rape or murder her.

Judge Roger Scott, who placed Abbas on the Sex Offenders' Register for life, told him: "She thought you could trust taxi drivers, and in that she speaks for everyone in the UK."

After the trial it emerged Abbas had been granted a probationary licence for six months by Bradford Council three years before the sex attack, despite admitting his previous conviction for assault. The licence was then renewed each year.

The parents of the teenager, who cannot be identified to protect their daughter's anonymity, today accused the Council of gambling with public safety.

Her angry mother said: "I don't see why they should get away with it. How many more young girls are going to get in cars and be attacked? How many more taxi drivers have got assault charges? If there is one there could be more. The public should know.

"A wrong decision was made and a child, who was a virgin, suffered the indignity and terror of an indecent assault."

She added: "We thought Council taxi drivers would be vetted properly, but obviously not. We feel the local authority has failed in its duty and we are seeking the opinion of our solicitor on the merits of a claim against them.

"We would like to know whether suitable inquiries were made into allegations of other complaints to ascertain the extent to which the local authority ought to have had knowledge of the driver's unsuitability."

The girl's father said his daughter now hated men and would never get in a taxi again.

He said: "She is depressed and was put on tablets to relax her. She tried to take an overdose and was scared to go to school. Taking her GCSEs has been a real struggle for her and we don't know how she will do in them.

"She had to give up her part-time job as a waitress in a caf after school because she could not cope with it. This man has destroyed her life. It will stay with her forever."

The family's solicitor, Fraser Tordoff, of Bradford firm Simpson and Duxbury, said an application to the Legal Services Commission for legal aid had been refused on the grounds that it was considered to be a personal injury claim, but the family was planning to appeal.

He said: "We are not seeking personal injuries. We are wanting a declaration on whether the Council has been negligent in its duties to the public at large.

"This is a case where the Council was aware there was a potential problem. There is a human right to be in safety in a Council-approved vehicle. The girl was perfectly entitled to believe a taxi driver was trustworthy."

Mr Tordoff appealed for any other victims of attacks by taxi drivers or who knew of any drivers with convictions for violence or sexual offences to contact him at his office on (01274) 734166.

A spokesman for Bradford Council said she could not comment on possible legal action by the family.

She added: "We do a rigorous Crime Records Bureau check when drivers first apply and every three years thereafter, or sooner if there has been a change in their circumstances.

"If there are concerns about previous convictions the application can be refused or referred to the licensing panel. We have robust licensing vetting procedures in line with legal guidelines."