A GrabBike driver in Hanoi, accused of verbal sexual harassment against a preteen girl he was hired to take to school, has been slapped with a civil fine as there are not enough grounds to criminally charge him.

Police in the capital’s Tay Ho District said on Friday they had imposed a VND200,000 (US$8.8) fine on the tech-based motorbike taxi driver, Pham Van Hai, without elaborating on the reason for punishment.

Hai, 31, was accused of verbally harassing a nine-year-old girl by her mother, who denounced the alleged lewd act on social media.

On May 16, the mother, N.T.L., wrote on her Facebook that she had booked a GrabBike ride for her daughter to go from Trich Sai Street in Tay Ho District to Dai Tu Street in Hoang Mai District the same day.

Hai arrived to pick up the girl, with the daughter telling her mother after the ride that the driver had harassed her with irritating questions during their trip.

According to the mother’s account, the driver had asked the nine-year-old such provocative questions as “What is your favorite color?”, “What is your mom’s favorite color?”, “What is the color of the panties you are wearing?”, “Have you ever seen your mom’s breasts?”, “What color is your mom’s panties?”, and “Can I touch your panties?”

The story left social media in shock, prompting Grab Vietnam and local police to look into the issue.

After investigating and taking testimonies from relevant sides, Tay Ho police said on Friday they could not criminally charge Hai for his alleged verbal sexual harassment.

But the police did conclude that the driver had insulted and hurt the little girl’s dignity through his improper and provocative words.

Officers have requested that the driver make a formal apology to the young passenger, but her family rejected the offer, saying they did not want to see their daughter mentally hurt again.

A representative of Grab Vietnam has visited the girl at her house, expressing that the company acknowledged the incident with full regret and offering to provide psychological assistance and private car service for the girl until she recovers from the distress.

Grab also said they had suspended Hai from using the app following the accusation.

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