SHAME SHAME
OFF-DUTY LEEDS PRIVATE DRIVER CONVICTED OF RAPE AFTER FOLLOWING WOMAN HOME
A private hire driver has been found guilty
of rape after
targeting a woman walking home from a party in Beeston, Leeds. Daniel Hayelom, 36, was convicted at Leeds Crown Court following a trial, and now faces sentencing on 2 May.
The incident occurred on 22 October, 2023, around 6am, when Hayelom, off-duty at the time, spotted the victim, a woman in her 40s, walking along Dewsbury Road. CCTV footage revealed Hayelom driving past and observing her before approaching her on foot. He then forced her into an alleyway beside a Poundland store where the rape took place.
“He could have helped her to get home safely but instead he chose to
prey on her for his own
gratification,” stated Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle of West Yorkshire Police, high- lighting the predatory nature of Hayelom’s actions. After the attack, Hayelom returned to his vehicle, while the victim continued home and
subsequently disclosed the assault to others, who then alerted the police. Authorities identified Hayelom, from Armley, through his taxi registration, leading to his arrest later that day. DNA evidence further linked him to the crime. Despite denying charges of rape, sexual assault, and sexual assault by
penetration, a jury found
Hayelom guilty on all counts. DCI Entwistle praised the victim’s bravery, saying: “We commend her for the courage and mental fortitude she has shown during the investigation and the court process that has resulted in his conviction.”
FALKIRK TAXI DRIVER JAILED FOR 30 MONTHS FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING TEEN PASSENGER
A taxi driver who sexually assaulted an 18-year-old passenger while driving her home from a night out has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison. Jaswinder Singh, 51, attacked the lone teenager in his cab in Camelon, Falkirk, after picking her up from a taxi rank in the town centre on February 4, 2024. The victim, who had been directed to Singh’s taxi by marshals after leaving a nightclub, testified that Singh assaulted her in the front seat. “I remember trying to open the car door. He grabbed me, He pulled me towards him and kissed me. His tongue was in my mouth. I remember tasting cigarettes,” she recounted.
54
“It’s all lies.” Following a two-day trial, a jury took less than an hour
to find
Upon arriving home, she was “very upset, borderline hysterical” and immediately told her father, who then contacted the police. The first responding officer described the victim as “completely distraught.” Singh’s DNA was later found on the victim. Despite this evidence, Singh denied the assault,
claiming:
Singh guilty of sexual assault. Prosecutor Alistair McDermid described the attack as “a terrifying and vicious sexual assault” on a “lone and vulnerable victim.” Sheriff Maryam Labaki, sentencing Singh at Falkirk Sheriff Court, said: “The complainer was a vulnerable young person trusting you to deliver her home safely. You gravely breached that position of trust by sexually assaulting her.” Singh, a taxi driver of 16 years and a first-time offender, was also placed on the sex offenders’ register.
MAY 2025 PHTM
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