‘VIOLENT SEXUAL PREDATORS’: Hull trio jailed for rape after posing as taxi drivers

Image credit: Humberside Police

Three men who preyed on and raped a lone woman after she got into what she believed to be a registered taxi after she left a night out with her friends in Hull City Centre last year have been sentenced to a combined total of 25-years behind bars.

Bakhtullah Safi, 18, and Habibullah Ahmadzai, 18, were both found guilty of rape as joint enterprise following their appearance at Hull Crown Court on Wednesday 14 February.

Kehan Safi, of Wellington Lane, Hull was also charged with rape and pleaded guilty to the offence at an earlier hearing.

Appearing at Hull Crown Court today, Friday 20 September, Bakhtullah Safi was sentenced to eight-years, Habibullah Ahmadzi was sentenced to eight-years and Kehan Safi was sentenced to nine-years in prison.

On Sunday 30 July, just after midnight, a woman was walking along Ferensway, Hull where a queue of cars were parked up. The woman got into one of the cars, believing this was a taxi, where she was raped.

Following the attack, a large scale Investigation was instigated with officers from our Protecting Vulnerable Persons Team and the Major Crime Team undertaking hours of trawling and reviewing excessive amounts of CCTV footage in and around the Hull City Centre to identify the vehicle concerned, as well as numerous other enquiries in order to trace and identify the suspects using the car.

From the CCTV recovered, the footage captured the woman entering the vehicle and Bakhtullah driving away towards Hull Royal Infirmary. The vehicle was identified as being registered to Bakhtullah.

Further enquiries were conducted to trace the journey of the vehicle and it was discovered that Bakhtuallah travelled from Ferensway, before dropping the woman at an address in Hull where she was allowed to get out of the vehicle.

During the course of the journey, they continued to deceive the woman that it was a licenced taxi. Having raped the woman, alongside Habibullah and Kehan, Bakhtullah then requested a £20 fare for the journey which the woman refused and fled to safety.

Following these enquiries, Bakhtullah Safi was arrested on Saturday 5 August, and Kehan Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai were arrested on Sunday 6 August. All three men were interviewed by detectives and were subsequently charged with rape.

Following an eight-day trial at Hull Crown Court, a jury returned a guilty for Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai.

Detective Constable Ashley Webster said: “Kehan Safi, Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai are what I can only describe as ‘violent sexual predators’ who subjected a lone woman who was on her way home from a night out with friends, to an utterly horrific attack for their own sexual desires.

“The woman has been incredibly brave throughout the investigation and court proceedings. What she has been through is something no-one should ever be put through, and whilst this result today will never take away the horrific experience and pain, I hope it goes someway in allowing her to heal as she continues to recover.

“We understand the bravery and courage it takes to come forward and I want to commend her for showing such strength as she has allowed us take these abhorrent men off the streets of Humberside.”

Detective Inspector Jon Jeffs who led the investigation, said: “We will never tolerate or condone any form of violence against women or girls in Humberside. Incidents of this nature always receive the highest level of dedicated response, as DC Webster and the team that were engaged in this investigation have demonstrated.

“We are committed to making our streets safer by thoroughly investigating reported offences, pursuing perpetrators, and bringing them to justice and in doing so preventing further offending.

“To anyone who is or who may have been the victim of rape or sexual assault, I would urge you to please, come forward and report it to us.

“We will listen to you, and we will do all we can to take action against those responsible and bring them to justice. By working closely with other organisations, charities, and agencies, we can also ensure you are offered the help and support that is needed following these types of offences.”