Md Sultan Mahamud Jailed for Kidnap and Sexual Assault of Uber Passenger
On 5 August 2020, Md Sultan Mahamud, a 36-year-old Uber driver from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, committed a harrowing act of kidnap and sexual assault against a female passenger in her 20s. The victim, who had been out with friends at Tribeca bar on Sackville Street in Manchester until the early hours, booked an Uber ride home via the app, believing it to be a safer alternative to walking alone. This decision was influenced by a previous traumatic experience in 2019, when she had been violently raped by a stranger while walking home in the city centre. Her friends, aware of this history, encouraged her to take the cab to ensure her safety.
Mahamud arrived to collect the victim outside the bar around 6am. What began as a routine journey quickly escalated into terror. As he drove, Mahamud initiated inappropriate conversation, discussing his personal life and expressing frustration about his girlfriend's refusal to have sex with him. The victim, uncomfortable but assuming the trip would soon end, responded politely. However, upon nearing her destination on the outskirts of Manchester city centre, Mahamud stopped the car, complimented her appearance, demanded her telephone number, and attempted to kiss her. He grabbed her by the shirt, pulled her towards him, and forcibly kissed her on the lips after removing their Covid masks.
- The victim tried to refuse his advances, stating she needed to go home, but Mahamud ignored her protests.
- He refused to unlock the doors, trapping her inside the vehicle.
- Instead of proceeding to her address, he drove 12 miles towards his own home in Rochdale, repeatedly molesting her by grabbing her legs and attempting further sexual contact while driving.
In a desperate bid for help, the victim secretly texted a friend: 'Help! Uber driver has kidnapped me. I don't know what to do. I'm so scared. He's locked me in. He's turned off my location. He kissed me. He's locked the doors, I can't even jump out. I can't do this again.' Her friend, alarmed by the messages, immediately called the police. The victim, fearing another rape, also used her phone to capture photos and videos of Mahamud, including footage of him sexually assaulting her. In one clip, she can be heard pleading to be let out, to which Mahamud replied: 'You enjoy and then I drop you.'
The ordeal ended when Mahamud pulled up outside his home in Rochdale and momentarily disabled the child lock on the passenger door. Seizing the opportunity, the victim fled the vehicle and sought help from a passer-by. She later told police: 'What happened to me in 2019 changed the way I lived my life... I put my trust in a company like Uber who I thought would keep me safe from harm, but this man did the opposite of that. Now I don't feel safe walking and I don't feel safe getting taxis. He has completely broken my trust... I feel like it's basically taken away my freedom of choice.'
Mahamud was arrested shortly after but initially denied any wrongdoing, claiming the victim had instigated any contact. Confronted with the video evidence, he admitted to the offences of kidnap and sexual assault. At Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, on 4 October 2022, he was sentenced by Judge Angela Nield to four and a half years in prison. The judge remarked: 'Those who use taxi services like Uber are entitled to feel safe in their cabs and this was a clear abuse of trust. Whilst it is clear the defendant could not have known about the victim's history it is clear her previous trauma has magnified this incident significantly... What happened to her strikes against the principle that many women hold in that in order to keep themselves safe they must take a taxi home rather than walk. One does not bear to think about the anguish and fear she suffered during the period she was in that car.'
In addition to the custodial sentence, Mahamud was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Prosecuting barrister Mark Kellet highlighted the context of the victim's prior rape, noting it was 'present in the mind of the complainant during the defendant's offending and afterwards, as she feared she was going to be raped again - such that the previous offence is, it is submitted, relevant to the harm which he caused to her.' Mahamud's defence, represented by Mark Fireman, argued he had 'misjudged the situation entirely,' but this did little to mitigate the severity of the betrayal of trust inherent in his role as a taxi driver.
The case, reported by the Daily Mail on 4 October 2022, underscores the vulnerabilities faced by passengers relying on ride-hailing services, particularly women with histories of sexual violence. Greater Manchester Police investigated the incident, leading to Mahamud's conviction.