Former Loughborough taxi driver sentenced to twelve years for rape after DNA breakthrough
- Perry Richardson
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
A former Loughborough taxi driver has been sentenced to 12 years in prison nearly two decades after raping a 19-year-old student.
Mahbubur Rahman, now 50, was found guilty of rape following a trial at Leicester Crown Court last month. His conviction came after a DNA match linked him to the 2006 attack.
Rahman was arrested in 2022 in connection with an unrelated burglary matter. While in custody, a DNA sample was taken and matched to evidence recovered during the original rape investigation.
The offence took place in the early hours of 7 October 2006. The victim, a student at Loughborough University, had been drinking and entered Rahman’s taxi after a night out. She was driven to a car park on Chestnut Street, where the assault took place.
At the time, police gathered key forensic evidence, including the victim’s underwear and semen samples, but Rahman was not known to police and no match was found. The case was closed in 2009, pending new leads.
Following the DNA match in 2022, investigators reopened the case. Officers reviewed hours of CCTV, revisited statements, and examined Rahman’s whereabouts at the time of the attack.
Rahman initially denied the incident before changing his account to suggest the sex had been consensual. He was charged with rape in January 2023.
At the time of the offence, Rahman was working as a taxi driver in the Loughborough area. He had picked up the victim shortly after 2.15am and stopped at an ATM before carrying out the attack in his vehicle.
Detective Constable Kristina Page-Brown, who led the investigation, said most of the original evidence was still usable, allowing a strong case to be built. She said the victim had waited 19 years for justice.
Detective Inspector Mike Chandler said the case showed that unsolved offences are not closed permanently and will be pursued if new information emerges.
Rahman showed no remorse throughout the trial. His sentencing comes shortly after another conviction in which DNA evidence led to a separate individual, Donatas Venclovas, being jailed for a series of sexual offences dating back to 2011.
