Arshad Mohammed

A Glasgow taxi driver, Arshad Mohammed, has been sentenced to six years in prison for raping a 19-year-old woman in his vehicle. The incident occurred in November 2010 when Mohammed, aged 48 at the time of sentencing, picked up the victim from a friend's house in the early hours. The woman, dressed in pyjamas with a coat over them after an evening of watching television, entered his Skoda taxi operated by 50 50 Cabs.

Mohammed drove the victim to a dead-end in Neilston, East Renfrewshire, where he abducted her to a secluded spot and carried out the rape. Following the assault, he chillingly remarked to her, 'See you after, princess.' The victim, left in distress, sought help at a friend's house, where she arrived in tears, prompting the police to be called immediately.

The case gained traction when Mohammed was detained by police in March and April 2011 for making explicit sexual remarks to two 17-year-old women while they were passengers in his taxi. During these detentions, authorities obtained a DNA sample from him, which was later matched to evidence collected from the rape victim. Despite appearing at Paisley Sheriff Court in June 2011 and being granted bail, Mohammed violated the conditions by failing to report to police, not surrendering his Italian passport, and missing a court appearance at the High Court in Glasgow in April 2012.

An arrest warrant led to his capture in Norway in 2013, followed by extradition to the UK in August 2014. At his trial in the High Court in Glasgow, Mohammed lodged a special defence claiming consent, alleging the victim had initiated the encounter and even thanked him afterwards, stating, 'Thank you driver, now I can get a good night's sleep.' He further claimed a leg disability limited him to consensual acts only. The jury rejected his account, convicting him by majority verdict on the rape charge and unanimously on two counts of breach of the peace related to the remarks made to the teenage girls.

Judge Lord Matthews, in sentencing Mohammed, emphasised the gravity of the offence: 'While acting as a taxi driver you took advantage of a lone female at night. The court must do what it can both to punish that sort of behaviour, to deter others and to let women know we will do what we can to protect them.' Mohammed, who is Pakistan-born and holds Italian citizenship, has a wife and more than one teenage daughter in Pakistan. He is likely to face deportation upon release from prison. This case, reported by the BBC, highlights the dangers faced by vulnerable passengers and the persistence of law enforcement in pursuing justice across borders.