The shocking rise of sex attacks in taxis
Around 20 passengers per week are assaulted by taxi drivers. So as Christmas party season kicks off, Closer investigates just how safe your journey really is...
I FELL ASLEEP AND WHEN I WOKE UP WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
When Lily Wright got in a taxi after a night out with friends, she was looking forward to going home to bed. Instead, the 26 year old was sexually assaulted by the taxi driver and left fearing for her life.
Lily, from Reigate, Surrey, says, “I trusted the driver to get me home safely. Instead, he attacked me. I was left terrified – and completely violated.”
Shockingly, the number of women being attacked in taxis is on the rise. Last year, police conducted 151 rape enquiries into taxi drivers, and a further 353 sexual assault allegations – a four per cent increase since 2018. But just 23 out of 44 police forces in England and Wales answered a Freedom of Information request, meaning that number could be higher.
Following the terrifying high-profile cases of “black cab rapist” John Worboys, who was convicted for sexually assaulting 12 women in 2008, but who may have attacked up to 100 victims, and minicab driver Christopher Halliwell, who murdered
Sian O’Callaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20, the safety of women travelling in taxis is facing increasing scrutiny.
There are now a total of 362,600 drivers across the UK
– and 98 per cent of vehicles are registered to a male driver. However, not all local authorities issuing licences require drivers to pass an enhanced criminal record check, meaning those who have been convicted of a sexual offence can still get a licence.
PROTECT YOURSELF
Last month, Uber was stripped of its London operating licence after failing to ensure passenger safety – they reportedly allowed 14,000 unlicensed drivers to pick up thousands of users. Uber will now appeal the decision and can continue to operate in the meantime.
And a report by the Department for Transport released in September 2018 said laws regulating taxi drivers need to be overhauled. They proposed changes including CCTV in vehicles and compulsory criminal record checks. But despite the recommendations, the government has since said they have no plans to bring new laws into force.
Katie Russell, from Rape Crisis, says more needs to be done to protect passengers.
She says, “This trend is deeply concerning. It is essential that those with responsibility for transport, including private companies making profits from providing these services, tell the public what measures they will put in place to ensure their safety as a matter of urgency.
“There must be stringent checks on drivers and a zerotolerance approach to sexual violence or misconduct of any kind. Sexual violence and abuse can have long-term, wideranging and significant impacts on the health and lives of those subjected to them. Preventing these crimes must be a priority for the next government.”
PANIC
In April 2012, Lily had decided to have a final night out with her best friend, Jamielee, before moving away to university.
Lily says, “We were drinking cocktails and wine. Within a few hours, I started to feel a bit tipsy and decided it was best to go home.
“Jamielee had paced herself better than I had, and she helped me into a nearby taxi, which was parked among other cabs at the side of the street. By the time we reached Jamielee’s house, I was nodding off. She asked the driver to call her when I’d got home to make sure I’d made it back safely.”
Lily then moved to the front passenger seat to give the driver directions to her house. She recalls, “I fell asleep again, and when I woke up, I realised we were on a road in the middle of nowhere. The driver stopped the car and rang my friend, lying that he’d dropped me home. That’s when the panic started to set in. As he walked round to the passenger door, I was frantically trying to find my phone, but it had vanished. He grabbed my jeans and started pulling them down. I tried to pull up my trousers to stop him, but his grip was too strong.”
After performing a sex act on her, the driver got back into the car and demanded £50 to take her back home.
She recalls, “Once we made it to my street, I sprinted to my front door hysterically crying. I was met by my dad, before collapsing in the living room. After speaking to my dad and my sister, I called the police.
“I went to the station and
handed over my clothes and underwear. After ten hours at the station, I got home and ran a bath – desperate to scrub away the previous night.
ORDEAL
“A week after my ordeal, I received a call from police saying they had located the driver via CCTV and found my phone in the door of his car – the driver had taken it while I was asleep and removed the sim card. DNA evidence also found traces of him on my clothes.”
In September 2012, Mohammed Iqbal, then 34, pleaded not guilty to the sex attack, but was found guilty and jailed for five-and-a-half years. He was also charged for sexually assaulting another woman in his taxi in 2009.
Lily says, “Since my ordeal, I only ever order taxis from apps, and I rarely get into one alone.
“I think it’s important that women take precautions to stay safe after a night out. I’d still prefer to get in a taxi rather than walk home alone, but you have to remember you’re putting your safety in their hands. I don’t want anyone else to go through what I did.”
By Kaya Terry