‘DANGEROUS’ rapist handed 16-year sentence after claims he was ‘training to be a taxi driver’
Updated: Jun 5, 2023
A team of detectives have been commended at court after their diligent investigation saw a rapist pretending to be a ‘training taxi driver’ receive a 16-year sentence.
On Thursday 25 May Abdulahi Mohamud was sentenced to jail for the rape and kidnap of a woman in central London last January.
At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge praised the team for the depth and detail of their work which led to Mohamud being identified. The amount of evidence gathered by the officers meant the jury were left with no doubt as to Mohamud’s guilt and he was convicted after a week-long trial at Kingston Crown Court.
Detective Constable James Brevitt, from the South West Safeguarding team, said: “Mohamud carried out a terrifying attack on a young woman, taking complete advantage of the fact she was outside alone at night.
“From our enquiries it was clear that Mohamud was driving around for hours that night – and on previous evenings – looking for someone he could get into his car and abuse.
“He is an extremely dangerous individual and we are pleased he is now behind bars for a significant period of time.
“The victim in this case has shown enormous courage in coming forward, not only in initially reporting the incident but in giving crucial evidence at court. It is thanks to her that we were able to gather all of the information that led to his conviction."
On Tuesday, 25 January 2022, a woman reported that she had been kidnapped and raped by an unknown man. She was unable to provide the exact location of the incident but was able to tell police she had been at a bar on Dering Street, W1 earlier that evening.
Officers immediately visited the venue and examined the CCTV which showed the victim leaving in the early hours of the morning and getting into a taxi.
She was then dropped off at a property on Noel Street, close to where she had planned on staying that evening. Cameras showed she was unable to gain access so remained outside on the street for a number of hours.
At around 04:50hrs, CCTV captured a man getting out of a dark car, walking towards the victim and forcefully manoeuvring her into the vehicle before driving away.
As the registration plate was not visible, detectives spent hours finding other CCTV until they eventually found footage where it could be seen.
This was then circulated on ANPR and Mohamud was tracked and stopped by officers on the Kings Road, Chelsea on 28 January.
When questioned Mohamud denied the offences and claimed that his repeated journeys around central London were because he was training to be a taxi driver.
The Met takes all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously. Specially trained officers will support victim-survivors from the outset.
If you have been a victim of sexual assault or rape, including non-recent abuse, or you have information about an offender, contact police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
