Predatory taxi driver whose sufferer was put into his cab for her personal security by good Samaritans is jailed for 12 years after he drove her to secluded spot and raped her

A predatory taxi driver who laid in look forward to his sufferer earlier than taking her to a secluded spot and raping her has been jailed for 12 years.

Ian Phillips labored for a cab agency however had clocked-off and disabled his in-car digicam to lurk close to pubs and bars in Sunderland metropolis centre within the early hours to draw potential prey.

Newcastle Crown Court docket heard a mum, who was ‘ten out of ten drunk’ misplaced the remainder of her group and obtained into his automobile alone earlier than she was pushed to the Hendon seaside space and attacked.

The sufferer had been helped into his car by two well-meaning strangers who had observed her struggling whereas ready alone for a cab house.

Married dad Phillips, 48, of Easington Colliery, Durham, denied rape however was discovered responsible by a jury after a trial.

He claimed he had clocked-off to do cash-in-hand work that night time and that the sufferer consented to what occurred.

The court docket heard the sufferer had been out in Sunderland metropolis centre and was not an everyday drinker however ended up, in her personal phrases, ‘mortal drunk’.

Within the early hours of the morning she grew to become separated from her group however spoke to one in every of them on the cellphone who advised her to get a taxi house, pondering she can be protected.

The court docket heard she sat exterior Gatsby’s bar, the place she was struggling to see her cellphone display screen, and was helped into Phillips’ taxi by two variety passers-by, who had no cause to suspect they had been placing her at risk.

The sufferer’s recollection of what occurred subsequent is patchy however she remembers being pushed to a again lane after which Hendon seaside after which being at her mom’s house with accidents and ripped clothes.

She stated in an impression assertion her life has been ‘turned the wrong way up’ by what occurred to her and he or she has flashbacks and terrors over the brutal assault.

Decide Spragg stated Phillips’ cause for clocking off was to not get cash-in-hand work and added: ‘Your motive was much more sinister, making an attempt to get lone, drunken girls to your automobile.

‘You had been appearing as a hackney driver, which you weren’t. You had intentionally turned the cameras off in your automobile, there was no good cause to show the cameras off.

‘I discover you had been parked there within the hope a drunken girl would get within the automobile and you possibly can benefit from her.

‘When the complainant was delivered to you it as simply what you had been ready for, you had been ready there within the hope a lady on her personal would get into your taxi.

‘This was deliberate by you, you had been ready there for a lady to current herself to you.

‘If it had not been her you’ll have waited to get another person.’

The choose added that Phillips’ behaviour was triggered by an ‘overwhelming sense of sexual entitlement’ and a want for management.

Decide  Spragg added that the girl was far too drunk to consent to something and that Phillips is a ‘excessive threat to members of the general public’.

The choose careworn that almost all of taxi drivers are ‘trustful and are trusted’.

Decide Spragg imposed a further 5 12 months prolonged licence interval after the 12 12 months jail time period and stated Phillips should abide by a sexual hurt prevention order and intercourse offender registration necessities for all times.

Lee Fish, defending, stated: ‘He has dedicated a particularly critical offence and he must come to phrases with that.’