Man found guilty of sexual assault after posing as fake taxi driver in Colchester
- Perry Richardson
- Oct 12
- 2 min read
A man has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in Colchester after pretending to be a taxi driver and offering her a lift home.
Arjun Rajan, 33, was caught through CCTV tracking and swift detective work following the incident, which took place in the early hours of 24 July 2022.
Footage showed Rajan arriving alone in Colchester city centre just after midnight, parking on High Street and walking towards Head Street. Around half an hour later, he spotted the victim as she made her way to find a taxi home.
Rajan followed her before offering her a lift, which she accepted believing he was a licensed taxi driver. During the journey, he sexually assaulted her before she told him to stop the car. The woman then walked the remainder of the way home and reported the assault to police soon after.
Detectives identified and arrested Rajan later that evening at around 7pm. He was subsequently charged with sexual assault and appeared before Colchester Magistrates’ Court in July 2023.
On Tuesday 7 October, a jury found Rajan guilty of the offence in his absence. A warrant has been issued for his arrest, and he is due to be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on 5 November.
Detective Sergeant Jade Lawton praised the victim for her courage and support throughout the investigation. She said: “The first thing I want to do is thank the woman in this case for her incredible perseverance and strength.
“Supporting our investigation and providing her statement was a very brave thing to do and she has had to deal with delays to the trial.
“Despite the distress this caused she waited months longer to give evidence in court with dignity and help secure this conviction.”
“Rajan took advantage of a vulnerable woman alone after an evening in Colchester.
“He had the opportunity at every stage of this offence to leave this woman alone or to go home and he never took this. He deceived her, he assaulted her, and the jury agreed with us that he is solely responsible.
“His unwillingness to face justice only reinforces his guilt.”
The victim, now in her 30s, said the assault had a lasting impact on her life but that she was determined not to let it define her. She said: “After the assault, I shut myself away from the world. I was too afraid to leave my house, terrified that he might find me or approach me it. I kept what happened a secret from most people in my life.
“For over three years, this has weighed on me and my family. I cannot decide what happens next, that is for the court and judge.
“But I can say this: I fought through fear, shame, and heartbreak not because I wanted to, but because I had to for my daughter, for my family, and for every survivor who feels voiceless.
“I will not let what happened to me define who I am. It is a part of my story, but not the end of it. I choose to keep fighting, to love more, and to rebuild the parts of myself that were broken.”
