Uber driver who raped passenger and took a selfie with her prisoned for 12 years
An Uber driver who raped his passenger in the back of his car before taking a selfie with her has been jailed for 12 years.
Muhammad Khurram Durrani, 38, dropped the 27-year-old woman at her home address on the night of July 23, 2016, Independent reported.
Judge David Tomlinson said the man "lost all his control" after he took pictures of the woman who was sleeping in the back of his car as he passed the sentence.
After reaching her home, as the victim was passing by his front door Durrani picked her up and took her to the back of the car.
There he sexually assaulted and raped her, before he took pictures of her which exposed at least one of her breasts.
“It comes as no surprise to learn, and it’s no exaggeration to say, you have ruined her life," Judge Tomlinson added. “The harm you did that night is incalculable.”
He also said that Durrani was aware of the woman being "almost paralytically drunk" when he picked her up.
Durrani, from Streatham, South London was convicted in April and now sent to prison for 12 years for rape and eight years for sexual assault, however, the terms will run concurrently.
The man will be on the Sex Offender register for life along with a restraining order and sexual hard protection order. Durrani in the court remained sincere but his wife could not hold back the tears.
His defense lawyer told the judge that it was a one-off and that his relatives in the UK and his native Pakistan had written letters supporting his character.
Detective Constable Peter Monaghan, from the Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command, said, “This woman booked the cab in good faith to safely take her home.
Durrani, realizing the vulnerability of his victim, abused her trust and raped her. This assault has had a significant impact upon her, and her life, and I would like to thank her for having the courage to come forward and give evidence in court.” Independent reported.
Commenting on the case, an Uber spokesman said, “This was a horrific incident and we welcome this conviction. As soon as we heard what happened this licensed private hire driver was immediately stopped from using our app."
“Every trip on the Uber app is tracked by GPS and we worked closely with the Metropolitan Police to ensure this individual was brought to justice.”
Transport for London last year refused to renew Uber’s license to operate in the city, citing the firm’s approach to reporting serious criminal offenses and background checks on drivers.
There is an enormous record of Uber drivers misbehaving. About 103 Uber Drivers have been reportedly accused of Sexual Assault.