Winnipeg woman's allegation she was sexually assaulted after taking taxi under investigation

A woman alleges she was sexually assaulted earlier this month sometime after getting in a taxi to go home from a friend's place.

Unicity Taxi is now looking into the woman's complaint about the recent cab ride. Winnipeg police confirmed officers have received a report and the City of Winnipeg’s Vehicle for Hire office is opening an investigation.

Michelle Hanslip, 32, first shared her account of what happened on Facebook, saying she got in the cab around midnight after a gathering on the night of June 11 but didn't make it home.

She said she fell asleep in the vehicle and was found naked several blocks from her house.

“Something happened to me,” said Hanslip, who said she woke up the next morning cut and bruised.

She had been in St. James the night before celebrating her friend’s anniversary with some drinks and a swim in her friend’s pool. The last thing she remembers clearly is getting a cab which she thought was taking her home.

Hanslip said she shared the cab with her ex-boyfriend, leaving St. James just before midnight. On the way home, she said they both fell asleep.

Hanslip alleges her ex was kicked out of the cab and she never made it home. Instead, she said she was found around 2 a.m. by someone on Mountain Avenue, about six blocks from her place on Redwood Avenue.

She said the person who found her called Winnipeg police and officers took her to her mom’s house.

“I didn’t feel right the next day,” Hanslip said. “I was found naked. I don’t just walk, go places naked. I had clothes on.”

She’s not sure exactly what happened, but Hanslip said she told the officers who picked her up she’d been sexually assaulted.

Winnipeg police confirmed Thursday they received a report of sexual assault but are unable to provide any further details.

Unicity Taxi said it first found out about the incident Thursday morning after someone shared a post Hanslip made Wednesday on Facebook.

Manmohan Gill, the manager of Unicity Taxi, said the company is looking into her concerns.

“We started investigating and it is still under process,” he told CTV News Winnipeg.

Gill said the driver who drove Hanslip remains on the job, pending further investigation.

“These kinds of things should not happen,” Gill said. “If something’s happening like this, there should be justice for that if someone is guilty.”

No one has been charged and none of Hanslip’s allegations have been tested in court.

The City of Winnipeg’s Vehicle for Hire office hasn’t received an official complaint about the incident but vowed to open an investigation immediately.

Hanslip said she underwent an examination for sexual assault at Health Sciences Centre June 13 and is now hoping investigators can get to the bottom of her concerns

“I just hope that more people come forward after hearing my story and I just want them to know that they’re not alone,” Hanslip said.

Hanslip said she was scheduled to meet with officers from the Winnipeg Police Service Thursday night.

The city's Vehicle for Hire office has previously pointed out that in addition to cameras there is also mandatory audio recording in taxis.