Sex attacker lures vulnerable teen into car after pretending to be a taxi driver
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/s ... n-24068888
Ricardas Mikuckis, 33, drove the woman to a secluded area, locked her inside her car as he smoked a cigarette, and then climbed in and sexually assaulted her
A sex attacker preyed on a young woman leaving a nightclub and lured her into his car by pretending to be a taxi driver, chilling CCTV footage shows.
"Calculated" and "predatory" Ricardas Mikuckis was out looking for vulnerable women when he spotted the 18-year-old in Cardiff city centre in the early-morning hours.
The woman courageously fought him off after he drove her to a secluded area, and has been left severely traumatised by the attack.
Image: The Mirror/South Wales Police
Chilling CCTV footage shows 33-year-old Mikuckis lurking in his red Ford Kuga and watching the intoxicated woman speaking to a taxi driver, who had given her his phone so she could call someone for the fare.
The woman walked off and got into Mikuckis' car, believing he was a taxi driver, after he pulled up alongside her.
Image: The Mirror/South Wales Police
She became suspicious when he took an unexpected turn and began driving her to a secluded area after midnight on August 29, 2019.
The woman told him he was going the wrong way, but Mikuckis, from Newport, calmly got out, locked her inside and began smoking a cigarette.
He climbed back inside and sexually assaulted the woman, kissing and touching her, before she managed to fight him off and flee.
Visibly distressed, she flagged down a passing vehicle and told the driver she had been attacked.
Police used CCTV and ANPR to track down Mikuckis.
A cigarette butt with his DNA on it was recovered by police at the scene of the attack.
Mikuckis denied sexual assault but was found guilty following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.
He was sentenced on Friday to 15 months in jail.
He had denied sexually assaulting the woman.
Speaking after the hearing, South Wales Police Sergeant Mark Wonnacott said: “Having viewed the CCTV and interviewed the distraught victim in this case, I have no doubt that Ricardas Mikuckis is a calculated and predatory individual who went out that night looking for a vulnerable woman to prey upon.
“The CCTV is chilling, and what happened to the young victim in this case is every woman’s worst nightmare.
"Her courage in fighting him off that night, and in supporting this prosecution throughout to ensure this dangerous individual is jailed, is commendable.
“This has had a devastating impact on her, shattering her confidence and her trust in others, and I only hope that today’s sentencing provides her with some closure and enables her to begin rebuilding her life.
“I also hope it provides other victims of sexual assault, who may be reluctant to come forward, with the confidence to do so. We have specially trained officers and work with a wide range of support services to ensure victims are fully supported.”
