Fake minicab driver from Croydon jailed for raping woman in Clapham
A CROYDON man has been jailed for six years for raping a woman in the back room of a shop in Clapham.
Posing as a minicab driver, Atiq Rehman, 20, targeted the woman after she left Infernos nightclub in Clapham High Street.
Rehman, of Windmill Road, Broad Green, exploited his victim's intoxicated state and took her to a shop in Clapham South Side.
He then showed her into a back room where she was raped.
The Pakistani national fled but later handed himself into police. Today (Friday) he was jailed for six years at Inner London Crown Court.
Rehman picked up his 22-year-old victim after she left the Infernos at 3am on April 29.
During the attack he threatened to tape up the woman's mouth if she did not remain silent.
After raping her, he took the woman back to Clapham High Street before fleeing the scene.
The attack was reported to police and the Met's Sapphire Unit began an investigation.
Their enquiries established Rehman as a suspect but - fearing arrest - he fled to Manchester.
He handed himself in at Norbury Police Station on May 26 and was arrested on suspicion of rape.
Officers were able to forensically link him to the attack and CCTV footage showed him with the woman in Clapham South Side.
Rehman was charged and appeared at Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court on May 28.
He pleaded guilty at Inner London Crown Court on September 6.
Detective Constable Lisa Greedy, of Sapphire, said: "This was a horrific attack by a man who had no qualms about exploiting a woman he believed to be intoxicated.
"The fact that he then threatened his victim with violence only added to her trauma.
"I would like to pay tribute to the victim who showed strength and determination throughout the investigation.
"This case shows we will do everything in our powers to pursue those responsible for such shocking attacks and I would urge all victims of sex crimes to come forward.
"You will be treated with the utmost sensitivity regardless of the circumstances."
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