Evil rapist caught after victim asked for his phone number and passed it to cops

11 July 2023 , 16:13

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Thasawar Iqbal targeted lone women on nights out in Birmingham by luring them into his bogus cab (Image: West Midlands Police)

A rape victim asked for her attacker's number and then passed it on to the police, which led to him being caught. She was walking home in the early hours of the morning when she was stopped by Thasawar Iqbal, who posed as a taxi driver and targeted women leaving nightclubs in Birmingham city centre.

CCTV footage showed the 41-year-old rapist following the woman in his car and blocking her path before offering her a lift, which she initially refused. He continued to follow her until he eventually persuaded her he was a taxi driver who would drive her home, but the predator instead drove her to a pub car park and raped her, Birmingham Live reports.

After the attack, Iqbal asked the victim for her phone number, but she quickly thought about asking for his number so she could pass it to the police. It led to detectives catching him and, through CCTV and analysis of his phone, they were able to prove what he did to her. Iqbal from Erdington, had been on bail for a similar offence against another woman at the time.

He was found guilty of several offences including kidnap, rape and sexual assault following the attack last July and jailed for 17 years.

Judge Francis Laird said during sentencing in May: "I am sure, firstly, on both occasions, you were driving in the city centre of Birmingham looking for vulnerable women. Secondly, your intent was to pose as a taxi driver in order to trick them into your car."

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The case is among those that have been highlighted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which says a new approach to investigating rape cases is helping to catch and lock up more attackers.

It involves specialist lawyers providing advice to detectives early in investigations in a bid to strengthen cases and improve a pitifully low rape conviction rate. Rape charges in the Midlands increased from 192 in 2021 to 247 last year, the CPS said.

Douglas Mackay, from CPS West Midlands, said: "The launch of the National Operating Model builds on our work over the past few years in the West Midlands and the lessons we have learned from Operation Soteria to improve the handling of rape cases through better victim communication and early investigative advice.

"We are pleased that we can continue to develop and improve the processes which support partnership working with police forces across the West Midlands so that more victims of sexual offences can get justice."

Richard Guttridge