Windsor

Windsor 'horrific' fake taxi rapist Anshul Sharma jailed

Sharma told the victim he had a taxi that could take her to the train station
A man who carried out a "horrific" rape on a woman inside a car that she thought was a taxi has been jailed for five years.

Anshul Sharma, of Hencroft Street South, Slough, attacked the 19-year-old in the back of a car being driven through Windsor by his friend in May.

Det Insp Andy Howard called it "the most terrifying 10 minutes of [the victim's] life".

Sharma pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday.

Police said he approached the victim in William Street after he heard her telling a friend she needed a lift.

He told her he had a taxi and that he could take her to the train station.

But when she got into the back of the car with him he tried to kiss her, and when she tried to get the vehicle to stop she was locked in.

Sharma then pulled her on to his lap and raped her, the court heard.

'Element of planning'
The woman, who is now 20, "struggled violently" and was able to make the car stop by reaching for the driver's door, unlocking the car and enabling her to flee.

Sharma was arrested by police two nights later when he was in William Street again.

Det Insp Andy Howard, who was the investigating officer for Thames Valley Police, said: "This was a horrific attack on a young woman who was enjoying a normal night out with friends.

"At the time Sharma approached her she was trying to arrange a lift from a friend but the friend did not know Windsor and was unable to find her.

"It is clear from CCTV footage that Sharma realised the victim was on her own and purposefully pursued her, trying to engage her in conversation.

"It is also clear that the only reason the victim got into the car was because she believed it was a taxi.

"The offence of rape is always very serious but this incident presented a number of aggravating features: an element of planning, deceit regarding the taxi, the victim being unable to get out of the car and the vulnerability of the victim.

"It is also very concerning that when Sharma was arrested two nights later he was in the same location in Windsor at the same time of night.

"I firmly believe that he was there with the intention of targeting other vulnerable females."

Sharma is in the UK on an expired student visa and is due to be deported at the end of his sentence.

His friend, who was driving the car, was arrested but later released without any further action.


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Walsall Idiot.

Taxi straight to jail please - dopey thief who robbed cabbie at knifepoint ordered pick-up to OWN house

Jamie O’Neill, 27, even used his own phone in his half-baked crime, making it easy for police to nab him

A dopey thief called a cab so he could rob the driver at knifepoint, but ordered it to pick him up at his house.

Jamie O’Neill, 27, even used his own phone in his half-baked crime, making it easy for police to nab him.

And he walked back into his home after stealing the driver’s £240 phone - just 10 yards from the crime scene.

O’Neill, of Walsall, was given four years at Wolverhampton crown court.

The victim - named only as Mr Ahmed in court - raised the alarm over his taxi radio and police rushed to the scene.

And after the bemused driver simply pointed out the house which O’Neill had gone back into he was promptly arrested shortly after.

Even his defence lawyer, admitted: “It defies all logic. On the level of stupidity, it’s right up there.”

Judge Robin Onions described the crime as ‘bizarre’.

He said: “Only you will know what was going through your mind."

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Bristol.

A TAXI driver sexually assaulted a Bristol university student in his cab – which led to his conviction for the grooming of under-age girls.

Easton Williams, 72, invited his drunk victim into the front seat on the way back from a club before ripping her tights in an attempt to touch her.

Earlier this year Williams, 72, of Ashley Road, St Paul's, faced 22 charges relating to the grooming of girls from the age of ten between 1992 and 2002, but the trail collapsed over allegations of collusion between witnesses.

But he was hauled before a judge for a second time after police took into account his more recent attack on the student returning from Oceana night club.

On this occasion, Williams pleaded guilty to 20 offences and was jailed for six and a half years at Bristol Crown Court yesterday.

Judge Carol Hagen tied together his "opportunist" attack in his cab with his grooming which "permanently damaged" the lives of his younger victims.Williams pleaded guilty to 17 counts of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency between 1992 and 2002 as well as the sexual assault in 2011.

The court heard how Williams befriended four young girls by offering them money and grooming them until they would agree to play drinking games.

"The children say the defendant acted in a sexually inappropriate manner," said prosecutor Donald Tait. "He would regularly say he would 'break them in'."

He added that one victim, aged 14 or 15 at the time, described the defendant as being "generous with money – it was money for nothing at first but as time progressed he would expect something in return".Another 15-year-old victim recalled the defendant playing games with the group of youngsters.

Mr Tait said: "After plying them with alcohol and cannabis he would involve them in competitions of who could drink and smoke the most, for obvious reasons."

As the girls grew older Williams attempted to keep a lid on the sexual encounters by paying his victims off.
The court heard that relationships developed where the girls would end up blackmailing him.
Williams' final victim was a regular customer in his cab whom he picked up on a night out at city centre club Oceana.

In court, he pleaded guilty to assaulting her in January 2011.After consulting with her boyfriend, the 22-year-old victim finally reported the incident later that year and the delay allowed Williams' first trial to go ahead without the charges.

Laurie-Anne Power, defending, said Williams should be given credit for finally pleading guilty – something that would bring closure to the case for the long-suffering victims.In sentencing, Judge Hagen said that Williams had corrupted the young girls he assaulted and "destroyed their childhood and adolescence".
She added: "What you did permanently damaged their lives."