8 years for rapist minicab driver

A minicab driver was jailed for eight years at the Old Bailey for raping a City worker after taking her home from her company's Christmas party.

The victim, a secretary with a City accountancy firm, was drunk after the party at a restaurant in Park Lane which had continued in a number of bars in the West End.

Georgios Stafilas, 39, had offered her a lift home after she had become separated from her colleagues and the 28-year-old woman had drifted in and out of sleep before waking up to find him on top of her. Stafilas had driven to a secluded car park before climbing into the passenger seat and raping her four days before Christmas last year.

Judge David Stokes told divorced, Greek-born Stafilas: "What you did was shameful and despicable. You knew perfectly well that this young woman was very drunk and you took advantage of her condition to rape her. This offence was aggravated because she had trusted you to take her home and you shamefully abused that trust.

"I accept you used no violence - you didn't need to use any violence because she was, to all intents and purposes, out of it."

The court was told that the victim has suffered to a "profound" degree in the 12 months since the attack.

Pc Neil Readyhoof, the police rape chaperone, said outside the court that because the rape had taken place after her office Christmas party all her colleagues-knew what had taken place. "This has led to a lack of self-esteem. She feels she cannot go out and have a drink as she used to and she can't relax. This has had a dramatic effect on her life and caused a lot of strain in her job.

"She's had to take a lot of time off work and come to court on a number of occasions. Her parents live overseas and are also traumatised by the fact she lives so far away from them and they feel they can't be with her to help."

The court was told that the victim had lost her friends while queueing at the cloakroom for her coat. When she left the bar, Stafilas, a trained electrician and part-time minicab driver from Catford, had been touting for business in his Ford Orion. She had asked to be taken to a library close to her home because taxi drivers often had problems finding her address.

Kate Bex, prosecuting, told the jury: "She was driven to the library and Stafilas parked his car at the back of the car park. He climbed over the top of her into the passenger side and raped her. He climbed off because she awoke and pushed him away. All she was aware of was his face on her neck."

After his arrest Stafilas had claimed the victim had consented to and initiated sex.