A predatory taxi driver has been jailed for raping a sleeping passenger after carrying her to bed.

Dominic Dalton took advantage of his victim after she fell asleep in his cab, a court heard.

The woman had been picked up along with a friend following a night out in Aberystwyth, Wales, on February 25, 2024.

Dalton, 30, of Pencader, Carmarthenshire, dropped off the friend before turning off his meter and taking the sleeping woman home and putting her to bed.

She later woke to find him raping her.

The woman managed to grab a knife from the kitchen and screamed at him to leave her house.

When he refused, she ran outside barefooted at used the knife to slash his tyres before seeking refuge at a neighbour’s house, where she alerted the police.

Dalton eventually left the property in his car and parked up nearby.

The predatory cabbie then flagged up another taxi, claiming that his tyres had blown out.

He later drove back to the woman’s home when he realised her phone was with him.

However, police had already arrived in the area.

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In a desperate attempt to avoid being caught, he made attempts to formulate his story, the court heard.

His phone records revealed searches including ‘have you been falsely accused of rape?’ and ‘perverting the course of justice’, ‘wasting police time in cases involving allegedly false allegations of rape’.

The taxi driver was later arrested, but denied charges of rape, telling Swansea Crown Court that the sexual activity was entirely consensual.

He was sentenced to nine years in prison on Wednesday.

A jury had found him guilty after less than two hours of deliberation.

DI Mathew Nelson said: ‘I sincerely commend the victim’s bravery and resilience in coming forward to report the heinous crime of which she had been subjected to.

‘Engaging with the Criminal Justice System as the victim has in this case takes an act of immense courage that deserves profound respect.

‘By standing up and reporting Dalton, the victim has protected other members of the community too. I hope this conviction and sentencing brings some closure to the victim after experiencing such an horrific ordeal.

‘As a taxi driver, Dalton’s job was to ensure that his passengers got home safely. He abused that position that night, exploiting the victim’s vulnerability, and later went on to lie about his actions.

‘The conviction and sentence passed serves to punish Dalton for his actions, but importantly also validate the victim’s voice.

‘I hope the outcome will give confidence to other victims, in knowing their voices will be heard and listened to.

‘I hope for the wider community, you will feel safe in the knowledge that a perpetrator such as Dalton has been dealt with robustly.’

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Two people have been charged with murder after a ‘seriously injured’ boy was admitted to hospital and later died from his injuries.

London’s Met Police launched an investigation after a three-year-old boy was admitted to hospital on Saturday, January 3 with severe injuries.

Police said they later launched a safeguarding and criminal investigation. Despite efforts of medical staff, the youngster died on Monday, January 19th.

They have named him as Isiayah Henry from Woolwich.

A spokesperson from the Met said: ‘Enquiries have been ongoing within the Met’s Specialist Crime Command. On Friday, 20 February, two people were charged with murder and causing/allowing the death of a child in connection with Isiayah’s death following an appearance at Woolwich Crown Court.’

Tanisha Henry, 28, of Woolwich and Mikael Williams, of Walworth, will next appear at Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday, 22 April.

The Met added that Isiayah’s family have been informed and continue to receive support from specialist officers.

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A new driver who killed two people in a crash less than a month after passing her test has been jailed for six years.

Liberty Mitchell had not long turned 18 when she caused the deaths of taxi driver Octavian Codreanu and his passenger Moyra Whelan in December 2022.

Mitchell, of Chipping Norton, was travelling at 96mph in a 60mph zone seconds before she hit Mr Codreanu’s taxi on the B4425 near Aldsworth in Gloucestershire.

Now 21, she sobbed openly in the dock at Gloucester Crown Court as she was sent to prison.

Mitchell was working as a cleaner at the time and had been travelling between holiday cottages in the area in order to clean them.

She had swung her Mini Cooper out to try and overtake three other vehicles at once, before aborting the manoeuvre and hitting the taxi.

Mr Codreanu and his passenger, school teacher Moyra Whelan, who was on her way to a wedding, died in the collision.

Mitchell was charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and two counts of causing death by driving whilst uninsured, due to her car insurance not including use of the vehicle for work purposes.

She pleaded guilty to all charges.

The court heard injuries suffered by those in the crash included a fractured hip, broken ribs, severe abdominal wounds and shattered bones protruding through the skin.

Nicola Cooper, one of the passengers in the taxi, said: ‘The crash itself was traumatic, the impact felt endless.

‘I live with survivor’s guilt and the trauma of losing one of my closest friends, Moyra, who was sitting just inches from me.

‘I lie awake at night thinking about the “what ifs”.’

Katy-Louise Whelan, Moyra Whelan’s younger sister, said: ‘She had so much left that she wanted to experience… but the opportunity was stolen from her and we are devastated.

‘I’m still absolutely incredulous that she is not with us any more.

‘It’s like the light of the world is dimmed and we will never be able to turn it back on again.

‘One aspect that haunts me is that my sister died violently… I’m truly devastated that my beautiful, innocent sister was subjected to that.’

Simon Stirling, defending, suggested Mitchell’s actions were a result of ‘inexperience rather than irresponsibility’.

He said Mitchell had only recently passed her driving test and would not have understood the risk of the manoeuvre she was attempting.

Judge Lowe said: ‘At the time of this collision, you had held a full driving licence for less than three weeks.

‘You were, at the time, a reckless and immature young driver suffering from the, frankly common, teenage delusion that you were invulnerable and free to do as you wished.

‘The lives of all the victims and their families have been irrevocably changed.’

Mitchell was sentenced to six years and eight months in jail and must serve half of this term in custody before being eligible for release on licence.

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