After rape by cabbie, ‘put CCTV in all taxis’

A TAXI driver is facing jail for raping a drunk female passenger – sparking calls for CCTV in cabs.

Anwar Sadat Chowdhury, 41, forced himself on the woman in the back of his licensed vehicle last year.

The married father of one – who is originally from Bangladesh but now lives in Inverness – raped the woman when she is said to have been too drunk to consent.

Months later, Chowdhury contacted a member of her family to try to persuade her to withdraw her complaint.

He is due to be sentenced on Friday at the High Court in Edinburgh on two charges – rape and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The case follows investigations by this newspaper showing thousands of taxi drivers across Scotland are free to work despite serious convictions.

Last year we revealed that more than 2,000 taxi drivers have a criminal past – and this year we exposed local authorities for continuing to hand out licences to sex offenders and scores of thugs, burglars, fraudsters, flashers and car thieves.

Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said Chowdhury had committed a ‘despicable and cowardly attack’, adding: ‘While the vast majority of taxi drivers are courteous and professional, all women recognise the extreme vulnerability of travelling in a taxi alone at night.

‘One way of reassuring the public would be for councils to ensure there are CCTV cameras in taxis, which would also be helpful in providing evidence for any prosecution if it were sadly needed. We must do everything possible to make sure horrific incidents like this do not happen again.’

Ministers have refused to follow the UK Government and local authorities south of the Border, who have agreed CCTV is to be fitted in taxis.

Chowdhury was granted a taxi licence by Highland Council in February of last year, and a taxi operator’s licence the following May.

Within months, he had sexually assaulted the female passenger.

His licences were suspended by the council four days later and they were fully revoked in October last year.

In February this year, Chowdhury met a relative of the victim in an Inverness branch of Nando’s, in the hope of contacting her and persuading her to withdraw her complaint.

He was found guilty of rape and attempting to pervert the course of justice at the High Court in Aberdeen on November 8 of this year.

Last night, at his home in Inverness, his wife Tasmin, 25, also from Bangladesh, said he had betrayed her and their 22-month-old baby, adding: ‘Every day he says sorry, please forgive me. He is guilty. I can’t believe he would do it.’

Sandy Brindley, of Rape Crisis Scotland, said: ‘Taxi drivers are in a position of trust and responsibility, and it is disgraceful that anyone would abuse that position.’