SHAME SHAME
SURREY ‘SEXUAL PREDATOR’ TAXI DRIVER JAILED FOR PREYING ON VULNERABLE WOMAN
A Surrey taxi driver, described by police as a “sexual predator,” has been jailed for 12 and a half years after he pleaded guilty to raping and sexually assaulting a vulner- able woman over five years. Lance Melville Percival, 64, of Oxted, used his position as her driver on trips to her support services and voluntary work to commit the offences. He was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on 10 November, after earlier pleading guilty, to: l 8 counts of sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder impeding choice.
l 4 counts of rape. l 4 counts of sexual assault. l 2 counts of assault by penetration.
The horrific abuse came to light after an investigation commenced when an SD card, hidden in Percival’s wallet, was found to contain numerous files showing him committing the offences. The evidence included 16 videos spanning 13 dates across a three-year period. The court heard that the survivor could “clearly be heard telling him to stop in some of the videos.” It is believed she would never have reported the abuse herself due to “the level of grooming and her lack of understanding.” DC Marc Taylor from Surrey
Police’s Sexual Offences Investigation Team, stated: “Percival is a sexual predator who abused his position as her driver and took advantage of the victim’s vulnerability.” He added: “The level and nature of the abuse was hugely shocking” and that he was “glad his depraved actions finally came to light.” Percival was a self-employed taxi driver licensed by Tandridge DC for ten years, but his hackney carriage licence was immediately revoked when the allegations were reported. Percival was also issued a Restraining Order, preventing contact with the survivor, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
UBER DRIVER JAILED FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING TWO WOMEN IN CARDIFF NIGHT
An Uber driver who targeted vulnerable young women in Cardiff, sexually assaulting two passengers has been sentenced to seven years and three months in prison. Amanuale Mebrahtu, 28, was convicted of assault by penetration and sexual assault following incidents involving two separate victims who he came into contact with while working as a driver. In the first incident, a student ordered an Uber home after a night out. During the journey, Mebrahtu’s questions became sexual, and he asked her if she wanted to “sleep around with other men.” When they arrived at her address, Mebrahtu asked the woman for a hug. Believing this
PHTM DECEMBER 2025
was the quickest way to end the encounter, she agreed. However, the driver groped her bottom. In his sentencing remarks, Judge Matthew
Porter-Bryant noted
Mebrahtu then asked the victim if he could go inside her house or if she would get back into his car. The victim reported the incident to police and Uber, but Mebrahtu later sent her a friend request on Snapchat, causing further anxiety. Mebrahtu later sexually assaulted a second woman who appeared intoxicated after he followed her and her friends in his car. He approached her, offering a piggy back down some stairs. Once at the bottom, he asked her to get into his taxi, then placed his hands
under her dress and sexually assaulted her with his fingers before running off. The court heard Mebrahtu was of previous good character. However, Judge Porter-Bryant condemned his abuse of trust, saying: “You were meant to represent a means of returning home safely. You were meant to be a protective factor, not a person young females needed to be protected from.” Mebrahtu was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on November 4 to seven years and three months' imprisonment, plus a licence period of three years. He was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.
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