Taxi Driver Online

couldn't find this in search so hopefully not duplicating the thread

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx24rg3kmkno

A "monster" who raped a vulnerable teenage girl and a woman in separate attacks has been jailed for 20 years.

Riyasth Hussain, 45, was convicted of three counts of rape, which took place between 2004 and 2008 in Rotherham, following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday.

The court heard he attacked the girl twice in about 2004, when she was 13 or 14 and in care, and the woman, who was in her 20s, in a bedsit in front of others in 2008.

Sentencing Hussain, a taxi driver from Doncaster, on Thursday, Judge Sarah Wright told him: "The harm and the wider harm you have caused is of unimaginable proportions."

Hussain was arrested by officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) as part of Operation Stovewood, which investigates child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

According to the NCA, Hussain stopped his car in a street in Rotherham and offered to help a girl who was being verbally abused by a man.

When he later passed her again on a street, the victim agreed to get into the vehicle and Hussain drove her to an empty industrial estate where he pulled her out of the car and raped her.

'Stole childhood'
Prosecutor David Hewitt told the court Hussain drove off after the attack, leaving the girl on her own.

On the second occasion he raped her, Hussain plied her with alcohol, Hewitt said.

In a victim impact statement the woman said by the time she met Hussain, she had already been exploited and abused by other men in Rotherham.

She described how Hussain would rape her and then "chuck me away like I was nothing", adding that his offending would "stay with me for the rest of my life".

Addressing him directly, she said: "When you met me, I was just a fragile, vulnerable little girl who you could easily abuse. Today I'm a woman and my only goal is justice.

"You stole my childhood, now I'm taking your freedom."

'Upmost courage'
The court heard the second victim told investigators she had been raped by Hussain while staying in a bedsit in 2008.

In a statement read to the court on her behalf, she said: "I was brought up to forgive and be understanding of others but I can never forgive what this monster has done to me.

"I will hate him to the day I die. He has completely ruined my life."

Judge Wright told Hussain his offending had caused devastation and immense harm, which "cannot and never will be repaired".

"Their lives are affected forever," she said.

Judge Wright paid tribute to the two complainants, saying they had shown "the upmost courage" and ensured their "voices have now been heard".

Hussain, a father of three children aged between three and 16, had previous convictions including robbery, firearms and drug offences dating back to the 2000s.

Liz Fell, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "The cruelty and abuse the victims suffered at the hands of Hussain was horrific, causing a lasting impact on their lives today.

"It has been extremely difficult for both victims to come forward and give evidence but they have done so with tremendous courage allowing us to bring this offender to justice."

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Only one mention of the t-word there, and impossible to tell from the piece when he was granted and had a badge, and whether he actually had a badge at the time of the incidents.

But whatever happened in that regard, his history in other respects raises questions about how he managed to get a badge in the first place. I mean, the article certainly doesn't make it sound like he was only badged prior to all that criminal history

This is the BBC's headline:


'Monster' taxi driver who raped girl jailed


But the official NCA news release doesn't actually state he was a taxi driver, and only mentions the t-word once (as highlighted below), so maybe he wasn't actually badged, but who knows?


Operation Stovewood: Man guilty of raping woman and child 20 years ago

https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/ ... -years-ago

A rapist has faced justice 20 years after committing his crimes, following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Riyasth Hussain In 2019, officers from Operation Stovewood, the NCA’s investigation into child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, arrested Riyasth Hussain, 45, after identifying he had twice raped a girl of around 13 years of age in the 2000s.

The victim, now in her 30s, confirmed that she had been raped by a man who she knew by the nickname ‘Riaz’ but whose real name was Riyasth. Investigators subsequently identified this man as Hussain.

The woman told officers that she first met Hussain between 2004 and 2006, during an incident in which she was being verbally abused by a man on a street in Rotherham. Hussain – then aged around 24 – had pulled up in a car and offered to help the girl.

At a later date Hussain again stopped his car beside the girl on a street, and the victim agreed to get into the vehicle. Hussain then drove to an empty industrial estate, where he pulled the girl out of the car and raped her.

Afterwards, Hussain drove off, leaving the victim on her own.

Hussain raped the girl a second time after arranging to meet her. He again drove her to a desolate location – this time a field – where he raped her inside his car.

The woman gave officers a description of the man, who she also recalled had connections to a local taxi firm, and the officers began carrying out enquiries to identify him.

Meanwhile, as part of a separate enquiry, Operation Stovewood investigators also spoke to a woman who reported being raped by a man in 2008 when she was in her 20s.

She told officers that while staying at a friend’s home one night she was disturbed by the sound of people arriving at the property.

A short while afterwards, a group of people entered her room. Soon after, and without warning, a man that the woman did not know raped her.

The woman was able to recall a small number of details about her attacker, including his physical appearance and the car he had driven to and from the house in.

Officers working from this limited information were nonetheless able to gather corroborating evidence and identify that the perpetrator was also Hussain. 

Both victims were later able to identify him in an identification procedure.

Hussain was today [17 February] found guilty of raping both victims, following a week-long trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

He was remanded in custody to be sentenced Thursday, 19 February.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Alan Hastings said: “I would like to recognise the strength of these two remarkable women who, having suffered so much, showed enormous courage in reporting what Hussain did to them.

“I would like to thank both women for their faith in Operation Stovewood investigators, who were determined to identify the man who raped them and ensure he faced justice.



“Investigating non-recent sexual abuse is complex and challenging but justice can be achieved. I urge victims not to give up hope, and to please report sexual abuse to police if they feel ready to.”

Liz Fell, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Riyasth Hussain preyed on two extremely vulnerable victims and exploited them for his own sexual gratification.

“One of his victims was only 13- to 14-years-old during this offending. She was living in the care system and had been groomed and sexually exploited by many other men, when Hussain targeted her. Hussain took her in his car to secluded locations to rape her on two separate occasions. His other victim he raped in front of a group of others, causing extreme distress.

“The cruelty and abuse the victims suffered at the hands of Hussain was horrific, causing a lasting impact on their lives today.

“It has been extremely difficult for both victims to come forward and give evidence but they have done so with tremendous courage allowing us to bring this offender to justice.

“I hope these convictions send a clear message that the CPS, working closely alongside law enforcement, will relentlessly pursue justice and prosecute those who sexually exploit children and adults, whenever that abuse took place.

“All children and women have the right to feel safe. I encourage anyone who has been in a similar position to come forward to report these incidents to the police. It is never too late to seek justice - you are not alone and there is help available.”


The NCA's Operation Stovewood remains the single biggest investigation of its kind, looking at allegations of abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. To date 50 people – including Hussain – have been convicted and received custodial sentences totalling more than 1,500 years.

The ultimate blame for all these horrendous attacks on girls must go to the scum that committed them.

But councils are next on the list. In particular, social services departments, but sadly also licensing departments.

Shame on them all.

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IDFIMH

For what it's worth, when I happened to look on PHTM the other night, they described him as a 'private hire driver', and used the word 'cab' in relation to one of the specific incidents.

The article as a whole is covered in various national and local news sources, and I can't see any mention of the word cab (as opposed to car), nor any word related to the trade than the word 'taxi'.

So maybe PHTM have access to that particular, er, granular detail, but it's certainly not stated in other news sources.