Minicab sex attacks soar

Sex attacks by unlicensed minicab drivers in central London may have rocketed to more than 1,000 a year, Scotland Yard said today.

Police revealed that illegal drivers preying on young women in the West End and suburbs were responsible for more than 150 recorded rapes and sex assaults this year, compared with 66 four years ago.

But officers believe the true figure could be "well over" 1,000 because such attacks are "seriously under-reported", with only one victim in 10 making a complaint.

As the New Year party season gets under way, detectives believe there could be serial rapists looking for vulnerable women who may have drunk too much and who cannot find, or cannot afford, a licensed cab.

Det Chief Insp Richard Walton, from Project Sapphire - the Met unit set up to improve rape investigation and victim care - said: "We need to make women far more aware there are individuals out there whose primary occupation is driving around looking for victims.

"Women are putting themselves in a steel box that can be locked and everybody should think before getting in a minicab because once inside, you are very vulnerable. It is quite clear our advice is not being heeded."

It is also feared Mayor Ken Livingstone's recent 30 per cent night-time increase in taxi fares may result in more women taking unlicensed cars.

Drivers target their victims as they leave nightclubs, pubs and restaurants and use a range of techniques to trap them. One woman was recently offered a Bacardi and coke, which detectives believe was spiked, as she sat in the taxi. Other men try to offer a free journey in return for sex.

Police are warning women never to take a minicab alone and to book one from a reputable company before going out. All minicab firms are in the process of being licensed but drivers may not have been subject to police criminal checks.

Diana Lamplugh, from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, said: "Anyone getting into a minicab runs the risk of encountering a rogue driver who effectively has you trapped.

"People need to know when a minicab arrives that the vehicle is safe and the driver is vetted, insured and does not have a criminal record."

During one police operation more than half the minicab drivers stopped in a series of London roadside checks had criminal records. Some had convictions for serious sex and assault offences while others were armed with knives and baseball bats.

This month, police launched a fresh appeal for help in the hunt for an unlicensed driver who they believe assaulted two women after coaxing them into his car.

One woman in her twenties was raped after being picked up outside Shoeless Joe's on the Embankment and driven to Stepney. Another woman escaped when the driver tried to rape her after driving her from Great Queen Street.

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