Taxi Driver Online

Woman raped by three men after getting in fake taxi on Ferensway

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hu ... er-9100640


L-R: Bakhtullah Safi, Kehan Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai are due to be sentenced in April.

A woman endured a harrowing ordeal when she was raped in a car by three men in Hull who had picked her up in Ferensway after a night out.

The victim believed she was getting into a licensed taxi but instead found herself at the mercy of the three men. During the journey, they continued to deceive the victim it was a licenced taxi and she was raped.

Bakhtullah Safi, 18, of Margaret Street and Habibullah Ahmadzai, 18, of Wellsted Street, were both charged with rape following the incident on Sunday, July 30, last year. Kehan Safi, 26, of Wellington Lane, Hull was also charged with rape and pleaded guilty to the offence at an earlier hearing.

Following the attack, a large-scale investigation was launched with officers from Humberside Police's Protecting Vulnerable Persons Team and Major Crime Team. They reviewed CCTV footage in and around the Hull City Centre to identify the vehicle and made enquiries to trace and identify the suspects using the car.

From the CCTV recovered, the footage captured the woman entering the vehicle and Bakhtullah driving away towards Hull Royal Infirmary. The vehicle was identified as being registered to Bakhtullah.

Further enquiries were conducted to trace the journey of the vehicle and it was discovered that Bakhtuallah travelled from Ferensway, before dropping the woman at an address in Hull where she was allowed to get out of the vehicle.

Having raped the woman, alongside Habibullah and Kehan, Bakhtullah then requested a £20 fare for the journey which the woman refused and fled to safety. Bakhtullah Safi was arrested on Saturday, August 5, and Kehan Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai were arrested on Sunday, August 6. All three men were interviewed by detectives and were subsequently charged with rape.

Following an eight-day trial at Hull Crown Court, a jury returned a guilty verdict today (Wednesday, February 14) for Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai. All three men have been remanded into custody and are due to be sentenced on Tuesday, April 2.

Detective Constable Ashley Webster, who led the case, said: "This was a truly disturbing case and I’m pleased these men are now behind bars and are being punished for this horrific attack.

“I cannot begin to put into words the bravery the woman has shown throughout the investigation and court proceedings, and I want to offer my sincerest thanks as she has helped take these abhorrent men off our streets.

“Kehan Safi, Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai are what I can only describe as ‘sexual predators’ who subjected a lone woman who had just been on a night out with friends, to a horrific and utterly traumatising ordeal for their own perverse needs.

“They have shown no remorse for their actions, putting the woman through the further torment of a trial by refusing to admit their crimes. We will never tolerate or condone any form of violence against women or girls across the Humberside force area and I hope today’s outcome provides reassurance in knowing that these men are unable to harm anybody else.

“We are committed to making our streets safer by preventing these types of crimes, investigating reported offences and pursuing perpetrators and bringing them to justice. To anyone who is or who may have been the victim of rape or sexual assault, I would urge you to please, come forward and report it to us.

“We will listen to you and we will do all we can to take action against those responsible and bring them to justice. By working closely with other organisations, charities, and agencies, we can also ensure you are offered the help and support that is needed following these types of offences.”

You can speak to independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, or you can report directly through the police 101 number or 999 in an emergency.

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IDFIMH

might this be added to the original thread ?

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

This is the official Humberside Police news release from yesterday. Even they manage to get the headline wrong

Nothing particularly different from the press report, though. But if you're an anorak like me looking for nuances, there are one or two, particularly the 'joint enterprise' thing, which isn't really evident from the press report.


‘Sexual predators’ found guilty after raping a woman in a taxi

https://www.humberside.police.uk/news/h ... in-a-taxi/

Three men who preyed on and raped a lone woman after she got into what she believed to be a registered taxi after she left a night out with her friends in Hull City Centre last year, will now be sentenced after two have been found guilty of rape as part of joint enterprise and the other pleaded guilty to rape at an earlier hearing.

Bakhtullah Safi, 18, of Margaret Street, Hull and Habibullah Ahmadzai, 18 of Wellsted Street, Hull were both charged with rape following the incident on Sunday 30 July.

Kehan Safi, 26, of Wellington Lane, Hull was also charged with rape and pleaded guilty to the offence at an earlier hearing.

Just after midnight a woman was walking along Ferensway, Hull where a queue of cars were parked up. The woman got into one of the cars, believing this was a taxi, where she was raped.

Following the attack, a large scale investigation was launched with officers from our Protecting Vulnerable Persons Team and Major Crime Team undertaking hours of trawling and reviewing extensive amounts of CCTV footage in and around the Hull City Centre to identify the vehicle concerned, as well as numerous other enquiries in order to trace and identify the suspects using the car.

From the CCTV recovered, the footage captured the woman entering the vehicle and Bakhtullah driving away towards Hull Royal Infirmary. The vehicle was identified as being registered to Bakhtullah.

Further enquiries were conducted to trace the journey of the vehicle and it was discovered that Bakhtuallah travelled from Ferensway, before dropping the woman at an address in Hull where she was allowed to get out of the vehicle.

During the course of the journey, they continued to deceive the woman that it was a licenced taxi. Having raped the woman, alongside Habibullah and Kehan, Bakhtullah then requested a £20 fare for the journey which the woman refused and fled to safety.

Following these enquiries, Bakhtullah Safi was arrested on Saturday 5 August, and Kehan Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai were arrested on Sunday 6 August. All three men were interviewed by detectives and were subsequently charged with rape.

Following an eight-day trial at Hull Crown Court, a jury returned a guilty today (Wednesday 14 February) for Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai. All three men have been remanded into custody and are due to be sentenced on Tuesday 2 April.

Officer in the case Detective Constable Ashley Webster said: “This was a truly disturbing case and I’m pleased these men are now behind bars and are being punished for this horrific attack.

“I cannot begin to put into words the bravery the woman has shown throughout the investigation and court proceedings, and I want to offer my sincerest thanks as she has helped take these abhorrent men off our streets.

“Kehan Safi, Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai are what I can only describe as ‘sexual predators’ who subjected a lone woman who had just been on a night out with friends, to a horrific and utterly traumatising ordeal for their own perverse needs.

“They have shown no remorse for their actions, putting the woman through the further torment of a trial by refusing to admit their crimes.

“We will never tolerate or condone any form of violence against women or girls across the Humberside force area and I hope today’s outcome provides reassurance in knowing that these men are unable to harm anybody else.

““We are committed to making our streets safer by preventing these types of crimes, investigating reported offences and pursuing perpetrators and bringing them to justice.

“To anyone who is or who may have been the victim of rape or sexual assault, I would urge you to please, come forward and report it to us.

“We will listen to you and we will do all we can to take action against those responsible and bring them to justice. By working closely with other organisations, charities, and agencies, we can also ensure you are offered the help and support that is needed following these types of offences.”

You can speak to independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, or you can report directly through our 101 number, or 999 in an emergency.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

So, as per usual, that's a pivotal moment in it all, so what precisely happened? Was it at or near an empty rank? Were the other cars maybe PHVs informally ranking? Or boy racer types? Or a mixture of all of that?

Why did she get into a vehicle with two people already in it as well as the driver?

I say this particularly because of the three similar incidents in Fife in recent years, and yet locally there's little evidence that anyone in authority is doing anything to prevent a similar incident again.

And, of course, it's all linked to wider issues in the trade elsewhere which causes a lot of antagonism from drivers, such as the white HC bonnets in Newcastle, to the rooflights on PHVs in Northampton

This smacks of a PR job from the powers that be to cover their asses after the recent convictions.

First part is the usual advice about keeping safe, which as usual sounds a tad naive to anyone who witnesses what actually happens on the streets etc.

Second is about the process for licensing drivers and dealing with wrongdoers etc. Which has what to do with what happened in the case? If only the three scrotes had been tested by the council on their 'literacy and numeracy' etc

Third is about how diligent police are at preventing people exploiting vulnerable women, particularly those 'too inebriated to look after themselves'.

Aye, that went well, didn't it?

However, this does state that there was a taxi rank in the vicinity of where the woman was picked up, but no other illumination other than that.

But at least there are rank marshals keeping people safe, etc


Nights out and travelling home safely after Hull woman raped in 'horrific' fake taxi incident

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hu ... ly-9106344

Everyone should feel they can go on nights out and travel home safely and in the wake of an horrific attack, we are sharing the advice and measures in place to offer support

The horrific rape of a woman after getting in what she thought was a genuine taxi in Hull has underscored the importance of staying safe while on a night out.

The woman was duped into getting into the car on Ferensway which has a taxi rank commonly used by people heading home from Hull city centre in licensed taxis. Bakhtullah Safi, Habibullah Ahmadzai and Kehan Safi continually deceived the woman into thinking she was in a licensed taxi before raping her and even demanded a £20 fare afterwards.

Detective Constable Ashley Webster told Hull Crown Court that the way they took advantage of a woman coming back from a night out with friends was horrific and disturbing. The woman had no reason to believe she was not getting into a real taxi, and she and anyone should have the right to believe they are going home safely.

The attack, although an isolated incident, could understandably leave some feeling worried about staying safe on a night out and when they travel home. Hull City Council has advice on how to make journeys to and from nights out as safe as possible.

The council has a licensing regime and measures in place to safeguard people. Humberside Police also has an ongoing campaign to ward off unwanted sexual advances.

Planning nights out and getting home safely

The council states people organising a group night out should agree on a time for getting a taxi home and on a safe location to be picked up from. The location should be somewhere where a person can feel safe while waiting on their own.

Pre-booking taxis ahead of time to avoid going home later than planned is recommended to avoid waiting at the busiest times. If a taxi is not booked in advance then people could consider joining a queue at a rank when there are plenty of black cabs waiting or arriving there in good time.

Paying in cash is advised, as is setting aside money for the fare home to avoid having to go to a machine somewhere unfamiliar in the early hours. People should arrive on time to their pick-up spot if they have booked a taxi as once a job is cancelled a driver could be immediately sent to another.

How the council works with taxi drivers

The council deploys taxi marshals to ranks at Hull Paragon Interchange, the Rose Bowl at Queens Gardens and Lowgate on Friday and Saturday nights.

They are on hand to help with queuing, assist lone passengers and advise on travel. Anyone who applies for a private hire or hackney carriage licence has to undergo checks which look for a criminal record and at their medical fitness to drive.

If a driver has a relevant conviction their application is referred to the council's Licensing Committee to decide if they are fit and proper. They also have to undergo driving, literacy and numeracy assessments, local knowledge tests and a driver training course.

The training course includes safeguarding and passenger safety. The council is informed if a driver commits an offence and their licence can be revoked if necessary.

Licences can also be immediately suspended if a driver is suspected of committing an offence that is a danger to public safety. The council also runs a driver feedback system where people can submit compliments or lodge complaints and concerns, which can be found here.

What Humberside Police does to tackle sexual offences on nights out

Humberside Police's Operation Contract is an ongoing effort to safeguard people on nights out from unwanted sexual advances and abuse. Officers patrol popular night-time hotspots in Hull and across the Humber region.

They speak to door staff and licensees to help them know when they should be concerned about someone's behaviour before it becomes more serious. Their presence also aims to deter any potential offenders.

They look out for anyone behaving suspiciously with someone who looks too inebriated to look after themselves. This including trying to take them to a darkened space or lead them into a taxi or unmarked car.

As part of the operation, the police also work to raise awareness of the importance of consent with a ongoing public campaign. It seeks to remind people that sex without both parties agreeing to it is rape.

The force's own analysis shows a quarter of reported rapes and sexual offences in the Humberside area are linked to nights out. They also tend to happen around midnight when pubs and bars close.

We have been here before, many times, and sadly we will be here many times in the future.

The combination of dirty perverts, and drunk young ladies, is something that I'm not sure society can do much about.

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IDFIMH