Bogus taxi driver who raped woman in Leicester city centre jailedhttps://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news ... ed-9175374
Zaheer Shah, 38, of Evington Drive, Leicester, was found guilty of rape and occasioning bodily harmA "predator" who raped and assaulted a woman in Leicester while pretending to be a taxi driver has been jailed. Zaheer Shah was "trawling" the city for hours before luring the victim, who was not known to Shah, into his car in Wellington Street.
Footage from the city's cameras later tracked Shah driving to Earl Street, near Lee Circle car park, where the car stopped for 40 minutes. The victim, in her late teens, managed to kick out and fall from the car while it was parked, falling onto the road, half naked, before fleeing.
She then, at just after 5am, approached officers who were in Halford Street, in the city centre, and reported what had happened to her. The victim’s phone and clothes were still in Shah’s car. Her friends used a tracing app to track her phone, which led officers to the defendant’s home in Evington Drive, Leicester. He was arrested and taken into police custody.
Shah strangled and slapped the victim before committing the act in the early hours of Saturday, March 4, last year. The 38-year-old was found guilty at Leicester Crown Court on Friday, March 15, of rape and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was found not guilty of a charge of non-fatal strangulation.
The victim, who had been out with a friend earlier that night, has been commended by police for her "pure bravery" in seeking help straight after the attack.
Judge Ebraham Mooncey said Shah’s crime had involved a significant degree of planning, and had included degradation and violence. He sentenced Shah to 15 years in prison for rape, and 18 months for assault, to be served concurrently.
Officer in the case Detective Constable Sarah Le Boutillier, from the force’s Signal team, said after sentencing: “This was a horrific case of a lone female being targeted by a predator who was determined to engage in sexual activity that night. Shah’s actions were calculated, and once he returned home after the offence, he sought to hide the evidence of his actions.
“However, the strength, courage and pure bravery shown by the victim both initially to seek help in the immediate timeframe following the ordeal, and throughout this investigation is highly commendable and she should be very proud of herself for this. I hope this sentence brings her some comfort as she continues to now move forward in her life.
“If you are a victim of a sexual offence, please do speak to someone you trust. Please know that if you report to us, we have specially trained officers who will provide full support to you throughout."
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