Bogus taxi driver raped woman after cruising streets of EdinburghCourt: Judge Lord Pentland voiced concern that the case took two years to come to trial.
A bogus taxi driver subjected a woman to a horrific sexual assault after picking her up from a nightclub.
Sajjad Afzal, 25, prowled the streets of Edinburgh before targeting his victim on George Street in May 2010, the High Court in Edinburgh heard.
After convincing the 20-year-old woman that he was a taxi driver, he ignored her desperate pleas to be taken home and drove her to a friend's house in Musselburgh, where he raped and sexually assaulted her.
Jailing Afzal for seven years after a jury found him guilty, judge Lord Pentland said he had been convicted of "horrific sex offences against a young woman who was a complete stranger to you."
He added: "She was alone and vulnerable. Once in your car you repeatedly ignored her pleas to take her home.
"Your intention after leaving the night club was to find a victim on whom you could prey for your own sexual gratification."
The judge added that it was a "matter of serious public concern" that the case took two years to come to court.
Afzal, who pled not guilty to a string of charges of rape and sexual assault, is expecting to become a father for the first time in November, his lawyer John Keenan told the court.
Mr Keenan said Afzal, of North High Street, Musselburgh, maintained his innocence despite being convicted, adding that the delays to proceedings had had a devastating effect on his family.
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