Taxi Driver Online

When I saw the headline it sounded like a previously reported incident, but maybe not.

Of course, different hearing all the evidence in a courtroom, but on the stuff as presented here, I wouldn't be surprised if it went either way


Oxford cabby accused of raping passenger on way to Banbury

A taxi driver is said to have raped a passenger who was coming home from a Halloween night out in Oxford, a court heard.

Hakmatullah Hotak, 28, has been accused of raping and sexually assaulting the woman as he drove her to Banbury.

Lawyers said he pulled his cab to the side of the road to commit the “violent assault” in the early hours of November 1, 2019.

Hotak, of Barton Fields Road, Oxford, has denied the charges, claiming the woman made sexual advances towards him instead.

But Prosecutor Charles Ward-Jackson told a trial at Oxford Crown Court yesterday that his defence was “riddled with lies”.

“He saw a vulnerable young woman scantily dressed and drunk and he decided he was going to take advantage of her,” he said.

The woman had been out clubbing with friends and her boyfriend in the city on October 31, 2019, while dressed in Halloween outfits.

After drinking 10 gin and lemonades, she was escorted out of a nightclub just after 1am.

She then argued with her boyfriend before roaming the streets of the city alone for two hours.

Arriving at Oxford railway station at 3am, she found no trains running and instead got in Hotak’s taxi.

“It’s not likely for her to get frisky with a taxi driver in a car 10 or 15 minutes later,” Mr Ward-Jackson said.

“She’s much more likely to be down and depressed at the end of the evening.

“It’s not a very promising starting point for a romantic encounter.”

The woman told Hotak she had no means to pay him when the car reached Kidlington, the court heard.

A short time later, Hotak allegedly pulled over in a wooded area and raped and sexually assaulted her.

Defending, Zoe Johnson KC said the woman made sexual advances towards Hotak while he was driving the cab.

There was no evidence to suggest Hotak, an Afghan refugee, was a “sexual predator out that night looking for a victim”, she said.

She added the woman was “angry with her boyfriend who she believed had let her down” and called him a "d**k" while talking to Hotak in the car.

The woman was “talkative in the car”, revealing “personal” information and choosing to sit next to Hotak in the front seat, the court heard.

Giving his closing remarks, Mr Ward-Jackson said it was for the jury to decide “who is telling the truth”.

“Stripped down, it’s quite a simple case. It’s about two people in a taxi. A young female passenger and a young male driver," he said.

“The passenger says she was raped and sexually assaulted. The driver says she made sexual advances to him.

“So, who is telling the truth, members of the jury? Someone is lying.”

The trial, which is being presided over by Judge Michael Gledhill KC, continues.

I have heard stories from drivers in the past of that happening but most drivers know better. It is not unknown for drunk women after rows with their boyfriends to come on to other men as a way of getting back at them. It did happen with one of my drivers who did engage in sexual activity with a young girl in very similar circumstances followed by an interview with the police a day or so later but no charges were made. He quit taxi driving soon after that which may well have been the price of saving his marriage !

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

Edders, indeed while none of this would be a deciding factor, everything in this section below would to me point to believing the defence rather than prosecution

And, of course, I suspect the average night driver would view all this differently to the average jury member, but when the prosecution barrister opens his mouth here I tend to think completely the opposite to what he says. To me he's actually making the case for the defence rather than prosecution. I mean, if it said that her boyfriend had been in the car beforehand, and had proposed to her with a huge diamond ring, and she'd said yes, then I'd be less likely to believe the prosecution than under the opposite scenario the prosecution presents:

Anyways...


Taxi driver cleared of rape after Oxford court trial

A TAXI driver cried in the dock after a jury found him not guilty of raping a passenger in Oxford.

Hakmatullah Hotak, 28, was accused of raping and sexually assaulting a woman as he drove her to Banbury after a night out on November 1, 2019.

He was accused of pulling the cab to the side of the road to commit a ‘violent assault’.

After a week-long trial at Oxford Crown Court, Mr Hotak was found not guilty of rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault.

As the jury delivered their verdicts, Mr Hotak could be seen crying in the dock and sighing with relief.

He thanked jury members as he was released from the dock, holding his hands together and nodding his head towards them.

Be surprised if he keeps his license.

More evidence, if any was needed, of how hard it is to prove a charge of rape.

I believe the conviction rate is in single figures.

Actually just checked the stats.

Since 2016-2017, the number of rapes reported has increased by 67% from 42,059 up to 70,330. In 2021-2022, only 3.2 % of those were prosecuted (2,223). For those prosecuted, the conviction rate in 2022 was 62%.

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IDFIMH