Bristol taxi driver & accomplice jailed over rape of vulnerable teen

Two men described by police as calculating sexual predators have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for the rape of a vulnerable woman at a Bristol guest house in 2019.

Riaz Muhammed, aged 51, of Easton in Bristol, received a nine-year sentence, while Muhammed Zahid, aged 46, of St Philips in Bristol, was jailed for eight years following their unanimous conviction by a jury at Bristol Crown Court.

The sentencing occurred on 17 December, concluding an eight-day trial where both were found guilty of raping a woman over the age of 16.

Court proceedings revealed that Muhammed, employed as a taxi driver, collected the victim and drove her around Bristol before arranging and paying for her accommodation at the guest house, a location familiar to him.

He subsequently summoned his associate Zahid to the premises, where the pair carried out a planned and sustained attack on the unconscious woman.

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Avon and Somerset Police detailed the orchestrated nature of the offence, emphasising the victim’s vulnerability and the perpetrators’ expectation that she would not report the crime.

Both defendants must serve two-thirds of their sentences in custody before eligibility for release on licence.

Investigating officers Detective Constable Laurence Castle and Detective Constable Saoirse Moore issued a joint statement underscoring the predators’ targeting of the victim and her subsequent resilience in pursuing justice.

They noted the jury’s diligence in grasping the case’s complexities, particularly the critical role of consent.

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The victim, initially perceiving the guest house as a safe haven provided by the men, endured significant trauma but demonstrated extraordinary fortitude throughout the investigative and judicial processes.