Manchester Taxi Rapist Jailed for 16 Years

A 40-year-old taxi driver has been sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment at Manchester Crown Court for the rape of a woman in 2021.

Muhammad Nasir, born 18 December 1985, of Stockport Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, was handed an additional four years on licence during the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, 5 May.

The defendant was convicted of a single count of rape following a police investigation into an incident that occurred during the early hours of 24 July 2021.

The court heard that the victim had been socialising with friends at a nightclub on Deansgate before entering an unbooked taxi driven by Nasir.

While travelling along the A6 toward Longsight, the defendant diverted the vehicle into a secluded cul-de-sac where the sexual assault and rape took place.

Read more: Birmingham Park Shooting: Three Jailed for Ambush on Teenager

Following the attack, Nasir drove the victim to a cash machine and forced her to withdraw approximately £70 to pay for the journey before dropping her at her home.

Detectives from Greater Manchester Police established that the journey, which should have taken 20 minutes, lasted for three and a half hours.

The investigation utilized CCTV footage from outside the nightclub to identify the vehicle registration which was subsequently linked to the defendant.

Nasir was arrested by response officers at an address on Ashton Road on 15 September 2021 following the survivor's report of the offence.

Read more: Birmingham Voyeur Jailed: Man Filmed 465 People in Public Toilets

In addition to the custodial term, the court imposed a restraining order and a permanent ban preventing Nasir from ever working as a taxi driver again.

The defendant has also been placed on the sex offender register for life as a result of the conviction.

The sentencing at Manchester Crown Court marks the final disposal of the case following the victim’s courageous report via the police LiveChat service.

Read more: Euston Road Rape: Man Jailed After Nationwide Manhunt