Zaheer Shah

Zaheer Shah, 38, from Evington Drive in Leicester, was convicted of rape and occasioning actual bodily harm following a brutal assault on a woman in the early hours of 4 March 2023. The incident occurred after the victim left the Firebug nightclub in Millstone Lane around 4.30am. Believing Shah's vehicle to be an Uber taxi, she entered his car, only for him to drive her to a secluded spot near Lee Circle car park, where he subjected her to a prolonged sexual assault lasting over 35 minutes. The victim managed to escape almost naked onto the road, prompting a swift police response.

Leicestershire Police recovered Shah's phone, which contained 3,064 messages, including 962 sent to 84 sex workers in the days leading up to the attack. These explicit messages referenced unusual sexual practices and the use of force, which the trial judge deemed relevant to demonstrate Shah's interest in 'forceful oral sex with a stranger' and that he had 'sexual matters on his mind' that night. CCTV footage captured Shah driving around areas frequented by sex workers earlier that evening, slowing down to speak to two street sex workers. As nightclubs closed, he targeted lone females, having previously picked up another woman for a lift home and later expressed sexual interest in her, which she rebuffed by blocking him.

After the assault, Shah used the victim's phone to call someone, claiming he had 'found her running around naked' and denying knowledge of the Firebug nightclub or Leicester. The victim's friends tracked her phone via an app, leading officers to Shah's home in Evington Drive that same morning. Police discovered the phone hidden under his pillow, the victim's clothes in the boot of his Jaguar car, and his vomit-stained clothes in a bin outside. Shah's legal team argued during the trial that the messages pertained to consensual activities with prostitutes and were irrelevant since the victim was not a sex worker. However, prosecutors countered that the evidence was necessary to rebut Shah's claim of simply enjoying 'me time' while driving around Leicester.

In March 2024, Shah was sentenced to 15 years in prison at Leicester Crown Court following his guilty verdict. He subsequently appealed the conviction, contending that the text messages should not have been presented to the jury. The appeal was heard at the Court of Appeal, where Lady Justice Whipple, sitting with Mr Justice Cavanagh and His Honour Judge Dennis Watson KC, dismissed it. The judges ruled that the jury required 'the full picture' of Shah's thoughts and fantasies, describing his account as 'inherently improbable' and noting that 'the evidence against this appellant was very strong'. The case was reported by Leicestershire Live, highlighting the dangers of unlicensed taxis and the role of digital evidence in securing convictions.