PORTSMOUTH

A woman was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a man posing as a taxi driver in Portsmouth.
Police today revealed that the 28-year-old victim was attacked in the early hours of Sunday.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said: ‘The incident happened some time between 3am and 4.30am. The victim was in Guildhall Walk, Portsmouth, when she was approached by a man who posed as a taxi driver; he led her to his car in Dorothy Dymond Street and drove off with the victim.

‘It is alleged that the man sexually assaulted the woman in the car before she managed to escape from the vehicle in Purbrook Heath. The woman alerted police to the incident shortly after at 4.30am.

‘A 38-year-old man from Portsmouth has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap – common law and sexual assault on a female. He has been bailed until July 28.

‘Police would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident, or anyone who has been approached recently by a man posing to be a taxi driver in Portsmouth.

‘Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting 44160163366.’

http://goo.gl/bQWMkC
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 DARTFORD

 Independent and family-run cab companies – some of which have been in the town for decades – say they fear closing or downsizing after budget taxi firm Uber started advertising for more drivers, specifically from Dartford.

Uber is an increasingly popular app-only taxi service, where users can book simply by tapping their details into a smartphone. It sends back the driver’s name and vehicle, and payment is cashless as credit card information has already been logged.

Uber is not licensed with Dartford council, but local cabbies say they have seen a rising trend in Uber drivers encroaching on the town’s streets by loitering on the border with London, and then hanging around Kent towns after booked jobs.

A Messenger reporter put it to the test, requesting an Uber between Dartford and Northfleet. His first trip, with “Ahmed”, was free – an Uber perk.

For his return identical journey at £15.90 he was picked up in Northfleet by Ilulian
Laurentiu within minutes of making the booking, despite the town being 10 miles from the London border.

Said Djannine, the owner of DA1 Cars, said: “The amount of work we have in Dartford is already limited – there’s not enough for more people to come in without it affecting us.

“They’re doing everything they can to kill off other licensed businesses until they’re all that’s left, and then just watch – the cheap fares will end and they’ll rocket the prices up, with no competition left to stop them.

“Of course, it’s competition. We’ve always had competition, but this competition really isn’t fair.”

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/news/taxi-drivers-fear-closure-as-95411/