OXFORD 

A taxi driver forced a 15-year-old girl to give him oral sex in the back of his cab and then raped her when she tried to leave, a jury heard today.

In a video interview played to the jury sitting on the trial of alleged sexual exploitation of young girls by a group of seven Asian men in Oxford, a woman told a detective how she was repeatedly abused by Assad Hussain.

The alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the detective how on the first occasion Assad, now aged 35 years, drove the teenager to a dark lane before parking up and climbing into the back seat with her.

The panel of seven men and five women heard that he asked her if she had ever performed 'jupa' or oral sex and she said 'yes.'

'I felt that if I said no that I would be pressured. I just went along with it. He's then given me a kiss and he's got in the front and driven to the gates.

'It was dark and about 10.30pm to 11pm at night' said the girl.

'There's no street lights. He's turned off the car lights. He's then got back into the back with me and started kissing me,'

The young woman then told the interviewers in detail how she performed a sex act before being raped in the back of his taxi.

She was not, she said, on birth control and Hussain allegedly was not wearing a condom.

She described the man as being short, fat and greasy and told the officer that Assad, also known as Ash, smelled bad.

The woman alleging she was routinely raped and sexually abused by a group of Asian men over a period of almost 10 years also told a detective in a police interview how members of the gang introduced her to Class A drugs.

The same girl described how she would then smoke crack cocaine and heroin before performing oral sex. 

She said when she was given heroin by defendant Naim Khan to 'look after' that she thought she was in a relationship with him.

In the footage played to the court she said: 'He asked me to look after it because he said he couldn't take it home. I had taken it for brownie points.

'I was a girl seeing a man who was older and from what I thought he had a lot of money because he was able to buy loads of heroin. I saw him as a big gangster and he was trusting me with this.'

She then told the officer how in the second period of the abuse, when she was in her early 20s, that members of the group tracked her down in Oxford and threatened to kill her if she reported them to the police.

http://goo.gl/r24BDH
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 NEW YORK

 A yellow cab plowed into a woman on a sidewalk near NYU Thursday after the driver got sick and lost control of his vehicle.

The unidentified pedestrian was left in critical condition.

“She looked really bad,” said 19-year-old Gabriel Hoffman, who watched the situation unfold from his dorm room.

“They had to wash blood off the sidewalk,” he added. “They did work very fast to get her out. I’m pretty sure I saw someone die.”

The incident happened just before noon at the intersection of Washington Mews.

The driver was making an illegal right turn onto one-way University Place when he apparently suffered some kind of medical emergency, sources said.

The cabby lost control of the car and struck the woman, who had been walking on the sidewalk, police sources said.

“I heard a loud boom, and then everyone gasped and started screaming,” said Danielle Elmers, 20. “She was under the car and people were saying she was dragged.”

Photos of the scene show the cab wedged against a building, having struck the woman and knocked over a large planter.

The 33-year-old victim was partially wedged under the vehicle. She was listed in critical condition at Bellevue Hospital.

Taxi & Limousine Commission officials said that the drivers it monitors are required to submit a health certification when they first receive their hack license.

The cabby involved in Thursday’s crash, who was also taken to the hospital, has been driving a taxi in the city since last year, according to TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg.


http://nypost.com/2016/04/07/woman-slammed-by-taxi-near-nyu/
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 Northern Ireland's biggest taxi firm has called for all taxis to be allowed to use the bus lanes, given a current review of the regulations around their use.


As part of the reform taxis will all have meters and receipt printers - which many drivers and firms have criticised with some saying it will drive up costs for customers and put some out of business.


However, in a bid to combat the lack of available taxis over the weekends, previously private hire cabs will be allowed to pick up passengers who hail them from the street during those peak times.


The new public hire element of the legislation change means the Department of Regional Development is having to review the laws on which vehicles can use Belfast's contentious bus lanes.


Currently black taxis can use the bus lanes as they are public hire vehicles.


Fona Cab owner William McCausland - who also speaks on behalf of Value Cabs on the matter - said if any taxi is allowed to use the bus lanes it should be "all or none at all".

http://goo.gl/18XT99
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EASTBOURNE

A senior police officer was argumentative and challenging in a taxi in Eastbourne, a misconduct hearing has found.

Chief Superintendent Neil Honnor has received management advice following the hearing last week.

He has also been told his role will be considered when a number of senior officer changes take place in the next few weeks.

Mr Honnor was subject to an Independent Police Complaints Commission’s independent investigation and the misconduct meeting was in relation to allegations of discreditable conduct while he was off duty.

The meeting was chaired by a chief officer from another force.

Temporary deputy Chief Constable Robin Smith said, “Sussex Police referred the matter for independent oversight by the IPCC from the outset and they found no evidence of any racist or criminal behaviour in the way the off-duty officer acted when seeking a taxi in Eastbourne on September 5 last year.

“His suspension was lifted on February 17 and during a misconduct meeting the officer answered the allegation that, while on an evening out he engaged in argumentative and challenging behaviour having identified himself as a police officer.

“On finding the allegation to be proven and issuing management advice, the chair stated, as emphasised by the IPCC, that there was no suggestion of racism.

http://goo.gl/2xCu01
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 ABERDEEN

 A controversial decision on making all taxis in Aberdeen wheelchair accessible was deferred yesterday following a stormy debate.

There has been opposition to the city council’s current plans, which will mean all hackney drivers have to adhere to the new regulations by next year.

Taxi driver union Unite has claimed there is already sufficient wheelchair provision in the Granite City, with more than 500 vehicles equipped for wheelchair users.

The council’s licensing committee met yesterday to decide whether to push ahead with the new rules.

But some members and union leaders argued they should instead push for a “mixed fleet” and urged council chiefs to prepare a report on the Dundee taxi industry, which operates in such a way.

The public section of the committee room was filled by anxious drivers waiting to find out whether they would potentially need to shell out thousands on a new cab.

Unite north-east chief Tommy Campbell called for more consultation before the changes take place.

He said: “Our Unite colleagues in Dundee have told us they have no problems and no complaints about the mixed fleet. There has to be a balance.”

Concerns were raised that the accessible vehicles may not be suitable for disabilities like blindness and cerebral palsy.

Councillor Alex Nicoll said: “We have one person in my family who is a stroke survivor who can walk to a taxi rank but can’t enter an accessible car.

“I suspect there are a lot of disabled people in the same position.”

But administration members said that implementing the taxi policy was the only way to meet their “equality commitments”.

Committee convener Scott Carle said there was “no perfect solution” but the policy was the “closest”.

But after the debate it was decided that a decision will now be taken by the full council in May.

https://goo.gl/3Al7lM