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Posted on the 20th July 2025 in PHTM News
FIVE YEARS' JAIL FOR CABBIE WHO SEXUALLY ASSAULTED TEENAGE GIRL HE PICKED UP IN BURNLEY
A 'despicable' taxi driver sexually assaulted a teenage girl he picked up in his car. Wahid Riaz's young victim told a court in a harrowing statement she was sick at home after the attack and cried herself to sleep.
Riaz, 52, picked up the teenager just after midnight in his cab on July 23, 2023. During the journey, she told him she was 14, but he said she must be 16 or 17 then asked her if she had been with an Asian male, police said.
She took videos throughout the journey and captured the conversation. Riaz then parked at the bottom of the victim’s street, told her to hug him and began kissing her.
He then sexually assaulted her before dropping her off at her house. When she got home, she went straight into the bathroom and vomited. She then got onto the sofa and cried herself to sleep, police added.
In her victim impact statement to the court, the girl said: "Immediately after the incident, I had a deep feeling of being dirty. I had really long baths and showers, and I would scrub my body so much I would make it red. I was just trying to feel clean.
"This incident happened in summer, and I was really conscious about what I was wearing. I refused to wear shorts, skirts, or crop tops.
"I was anxious and asked myself if my clothes were too revealing or if they showed too much skin, what might happen to me. As I blamed myself and what I wore that night."
Detectives said Riaz made his young victim go through the stress of having to give evidence in court after refusing to admit what he had done, reports Lancs Live.
A jury at Preston Crown Court did not believe his lies and on Thursday July 10 Riaz, from Nelson, was jailed for five years and ordered to sign the Sex Offender’s Register for the rest of his life.
Det Con Ryan Benson, who led the investigation, said: "Wahid Riaz is a despicable individual who has a sordid sexual interest in children. He used his position as a taxi driver to isolate and then engage in sexual activity with a vulnerable young girl.
"This offence has had a profound and ongoing impact on the victim and I want to praise her for the bravery she has shown in first of all reporting this to us and then giving evidence during pre-trial cross examination. Her bravery is a complete contrast to the cowardice Riaz has shown throughout this process, seeking to deny his criminal conduct despite the overwhelming evidence against him.
"While it’s not for me to comment on the sentence, I am pleased that Riaz has been held accountable for his despicable actions."
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