SHAME SHAME


FORMER ARMY TRANSLATOR JAILED FOR 7 YEARS FOR RAPING TEENAGE PASSENGER NEAR EDINBURGH


A former military translator who became a PH driver after moving to Scotland from Afghanistan has been sentenced to seven years in prison for raping a vulnerable teenage passenger. Abdul Nabizada, 36, was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on 11 August, after being found guilty of the horrific attack on a 19-year- old woman who had trusted him to take her home safely following a night out in November 2021. Instead of driving the intoxicated passenger to her destination, Nabizada seized her mobile phone, drove her to a secluded area near Edinburgh, detained her against her will, and subjected her to a


serious sexual assault.


Judge John Morris KC described the crime as a “crime of opportunism,” noting that the victim “was particularly vulnerable because she was intoxicated and that should have been obvious to you” given that he was responsible for transporting her home. The victim managed to escape from the vehicle and find her friends, who discovered her distressed and frightened before reporting the terrifying ordeal to the authorities.


Police used CCTV footage, mobile phone data, witness testimony, and DNA found on the victim’s clothing to track down Nabizada, with cameras showing him repeatedly returning to the scene of the crime in the hours following the attack. During the court proceedings, Nabizada continued to deny his guilt. Despite submitting positive references and noting he was a family man with no prior convictions, Judge Morris handed down a seven-year prison sentence, placed him on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely, and issued a non-contact protect the victim.


order to


NEWCASTLE UBER DRIVER WHO RAN RED LIGHT AND KNOCKED MAN DOWN AVOIDS JAIL


An Uber driver who felt under pressure to rush a passenger to a hospital appointment jumped a red light and knocked down a grandfather in Newcastle. Shak Rahman, 48, struck the victim as he crossed Percy Street after finishing work, throwing him into the air and onto the windscreen before he landed heavily on the road. Prosecutors told Newcastle Crown Court it was “quite remarkable” the pedestrian was not more seriously injured. The victim remembered nothing between crossing the road and waking up in hospital. Although Rahman gave his details to ambulance staff, he left the scene. When police went to his home, they


saw his car was 62


damaged from the impact. A tyre was more than 10 years’ old, his brakes were rusted and there was a loose cover on the steering wheel but this did not contribute to the crash. With no previous convictions, Rahman pleaded guilty to dangerous driving. Defence solicitor Spencer Downey explained: “He believes his passenger was going to an appointment at the RVI and they were


complaining they were


running late, adding to the pressure on him.” Recorder Tony Hawks condemned the “completely reckless act,” telling Rahman: “You took an enormous risk by ignoring a red light and you ran over a pedestrian, who had to go to hospital.


“Fortunately, he was not seriously injured but he could have been killed or seriously injured, in which case you would undoubtedly go to prison immediately.” Rahman was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, handed a 12-month driving ban, and ordered to pass an extended test. The judge told him: “I’m not going to send you to prison immediately because you have been punished significantly as a result of this completely reckless act on your part, namely you have lost your livelihood as a private hire driver and from what I know of the city council you are unlikely to get your licence back with a conviction for dangerous driving.”


SEPTEMBER 2026 PHTM


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