Taxi Driver Online

Woman ‘raped by man posing as taxi driver’ in Swindon’s Old Town

A woman has been ‘raped by a man posing as a taxi driver’ in Swindon’s Old Town.

Police officers patrolling on foot were flagged down by members of the public in Hoopers Place at around 1.30am this morning (Sunday).

They raised concerns about the safety of a woman – who reported being attacked by a man who encouraged her to get into his vehicle by suggesting he was a taxi driver.

A man, aged in his 20s, was arrested on suspicion of rape, sexual assault and indecent exposure. He is being held in police custody.

DCI Nick Mawson said: “This is an extremely concerning incident involving a man who also encouraged the woman to get in his car, suggesting he could be a taxi driver.

“Creating safer spaces and reducing violence are priorities of Wiltshire Police as direct by Chief Constable Roper and we will continue to carry out patrols looking to identify anybody who is showing signs of potential perpetrator behaviour and intervening before they might go on to commit a serious sexual offence.

“It’s really important for us that people do feel safe and are able to enjoy going out without fear of what might happen at the end of the night.

“We will continue to have officers on regular foot patrol in this and others areas of the town to prevent offending of this nature.”

“I’d also like to urge members of the public to call or alert us, like they did in this incident, if they see any unwanted contact and behaviour. We would like to thank those people who stopped to help the victim this morning.”

If you saw anything suspicious last night, please contact police on 101 quoting reference number 54230092765.

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IDFIMH

Oh no Swindon we all know who came from there !

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Usual confusion in another news outlet:


But the article at the top of the thread simply says the man 'posed' as a taxi driver, not that he may have been one.

To be fair, both articles seem based on the Wiltshire Police press release below, and the only mention of the t-word in there is a bit ambiguous - it could be read either way, and to that extent both the news sources could be correct.

But you'd think that since the police statement says a man has been arrested, then they'd have a good idea whether or not he actually had a badge.

So I would construe what the DCI said below as meaning that the suspect was suggesting that he was a taxi driver when he wasn't, rather than that he may have been a licensed taxi driver

Appeal for witnesses following serious sexual assault in Swindon

We are appealing for witnesses following reports of a serious sexual assault in Swindon.

At around 1.30am this morning (Sunday) members of the public flagged down officers who were on foot patrol in Hoopers Place as they were concerned for the safety of a woman.

A man in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of rape, sexual assault and indecent exposure and remains in police custody for questioning.

DCI Nick Mawson said: “This is an extremely concerning incident involving a man who also encouraged the woman to get in his car, suggesting he could be a taxi driver.

We are appealing for witnesses following reports of a serious sexual assault in Swindon.

At around 1.30am this morning (Sunday) members of the public flagged down officers who were on foot patrol in Hoopers Place as they were concerned for the safety of a woman.

A man in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of rape, sexual assault and indecent exposure and remains in police custody for questioning.

If you saw anything suspicious last night, please contact us on 101 quoting reference number 54230092765.

Two charged, so obviously slightly different from the norm...


Police issue taxi warning after 'sexual assault' outside nightclub

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/new ... nightclub/

Residents have been urged to ensure they only use pre-booked taxis and private hire vehicles.

The warning from Wiltshire Police comes a week after an alleged sexual assault outside an Old Town nightclub, in which the police said the suspect may have posed as a taxi driver.

Taking to Facebook on Friday afternoon, A/Supt Al Lumley warned residents only to use pre-booked taxis, warning that using unbooked vehicles may mean companies have no record of their journey and they could even be uninsured if there is a crash.

She said: “We want everyone to travel around our town safely and in the knowledge they are using licensed, regulated companies when jumping into taxis or minicabs.

“To access most of these, you will need to book in advance, however, some are unlicensed and tend to look for customers on the streets and usually at night.

“Our advice is simple; never get into an unbooked minicab because there might not be any record of your journey or driver.

“They may also be uninsured in the event of an accident.

“Booking your minicab in advance means your trip will be carried out by a licensed, insured driver in a licensed, insured vehicle.

“A record of your journey, driver and vehicle will also be logged so that, in the event of any issues, the driver can be traced.

“Another good tip is to make a note of or take a picture of the vehicle's number plate and licence number.”

The advice comes almost a week after a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted outside Tree nightclub in Old Town.

Police on patrol in Hoopers Place were flagged down in the early hours of Sunday, September 4.

Later on in the day, DCI Nick Mawson said: “This is an extremely concerning incident involving a man who also encouraged the woman to get in his car, suggesting he could be a taxi driver.”

Two men have since been charged in connection with the incident – they both deny all charges.

Foreign student Nikhil Chopra, 20, of Scarborough Road in Walsall, and asylum seeker Aryan Choudhary, 21, of no fixed abode both face charges of sexually assaulting the woman outside the nightclub.

Chopra was also charged with indecent exposure.

Mark Glendenning, Choudhary’s defence solicitor, told the court: “He says that he has no involvement in this incident at all other than to speak to this young lady and have his photo taken with her voluntarily."

They were both remanded in custody and will appear at Swindon Crown Court on October 6.

She makes it sound like HCs plying for hire aren't legit

Indeed.

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IDFIMH