Bogus taxi driver guilty of raping womanA bogus taxi driver has been found guilty of raping a 25-year-old woman after luring her into his car.
Nathan Lee Gifford, 44, of Coleshall Close, Maidstone, raped the victim in the early hours of Christmas Eve 2011.
The woman had been partying at a nightclub in Canterbury Street, Gillingham, but was separated from her friends so left to go home.
While waiting for a taxi after leaving the club at 2.35am, Gifford got out of the borrowed cab he was using to pick up unofficial fares and helped the victim into the car before driving off.
Two men found the woman at 3.10am curled up in an alleyway near the Medway Maritime Hospital and alerted police. Gifford was arrested at 7.20pm on Christmas Eve and charged late on Christmas Day. He denied the offence but was found guilty on July 5 at Maidstone Crown Court.
He has been remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on August 3.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Fotheringham said: “Fortunately, this sort of crime is uncommon, but it has had a significant impact on the victim, who, in this case was subjected to a harrowing ordeal last Christmas. I would like to praise the courage of this woman and all the witnesses who helped officers with the investigation.”
source:
http://www.kentnews.co.uk/news/bogus_ta ... _1_1434469