Student raped in Newcastle
News admin | Dec 10, 2009 | Comments 2
Source: BBC NEWS
A 19-year-old has been raped after a night out in Newcastle city centre.
Police said the woman got into a car, which she thought was a taxi, after becoming separated from friends in the early hours of Saturday.
The driver took her to an industrial estate off St Lawrence Road in Walker and attacked her inside the car.
Police said they did not believe the attack was connected to the rape of a 17-year-old girl in her Tyneside home in the early hours of Monday morning.
Detectives investigating the first incident said the 19-year-old student had got into a dark-coloured car after leaving the Get Stuffed takeaway in St Mary’s Place at about 0400 GMT.
She asked to be taken to her home, but was driven to the Hawick Crescent Industrial Estate where she was raped inside the car.
The car left the industrial estate at about 0440 GMT with its light off, leaving the girl at the scene.
Officers are now studying CCTV showing the vehicle turning around in St Peter’s Basin and driving on to Glass House Street, heading towards Walker Road.
Det Insp Tim Miley, of Northumbria Police, said: “The victim was obviously left very distressed and extensive inquiries are under way to find the person responsible.
“I’m keen to speak to the driver of a white taxi which drove past the dark car on St Peter’s Basin shortly afterwards.”
Police said a 17-year-old girl was raped in her home in Walker after taking a taxi from outside The Gate complex late on Sunday.
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Filed Under: Crime
NEWCASTLE PRIVATE HIRE DRIVERS ASSOCIATION
well no suprise there then just what we have constantly warned would happen due to lack of enforcement and public ignorance in newcastle. Out of this job now thankfully but i still feel very strongly about things like this. Things certainly aren’t improving Remember the protests the drivers in the past have had against the council have had, we said then its not all about the money but once again we were fobbed off by the council and the police and portrayed as greedy taxi drivers even threatened with prosecution under anti terrorist laws if we continued with our protests don’t suppose things will change now
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Ollie Beak Reply:
December 11th, 2009 at 12:26 am
@stress,
Unfortunately this is still just the tip of the iceberg and proves once again that there is very strong justification for proper enforcement on the ranks between the hours of 12.00 a.m. and 6.00 a.m. Newcastle City Council absolutely needs to employ round the clock teams of highly trained personnel to effectively monitor a situation that is now largely out of control.
We will all take a great interest in the developments of this latest incident and if it turns out to have been an actual licensed taxi driver to blame we will prompt the council for a complete review of its current licensing policy as it stands. Furthermore, if it turns out to have been a driver of one of the ‘out of town’ licensed taxis, then we will expect that all future licenses granted by Northumberland are done so after the applicant has passed an enhanced CRB check.
As a further safeguard it would also be prudent for that council to make it compulsory for all their currently licensed drivers to undergo these checks. It is common knowledge that our trade is being used for all sorts of criminal activity due to the relative anonymity a perceived licensed taxi operates under.
It is for this reason and as a matter of urgency that the powers of enforcement should include the random stop and search of any hackney carriage or private hire vehicle.
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