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Posted on the 19th March 2026 in PHTM News

PREDATOR JAILED FOR 12 YEARS FOR RAPING 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL HE PICKED UP AT ABERDEEN RANK

A "dangerous individual" who brutally raped a 14-year-old girl after picking her up from an Aberdeen taxi rank has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Victor Popa, 35, lured the intoxicated teenager into his car in January 2023 by offering her a lift home, only to carry out a "predatory and deeply distressing" attack with "significant force" that a judge said has left the victim living a "waking nightmare."

The court heard the schoolgirl had become separated from friends and was waiting at a rank when Popa, a stranger who was not a taxi driver, pulled up.

Despite the girl telling him her age and that she was "really drunk," he drove her to a secluded area where he subjected her to a serious sexual assault while she repeatedly "blanked out."

Judge Alison Stirling noted that the victim has since suffered from complex PTSD and was forced to drop out of school due to bullying.

"The emotional impact of the rape was overwhelming, and she thinks it will be everlasting," the judge said, adding that the girl felt "dirty and humiliated" by the ordeal.

Popa denied the charges, claiming the encounter was consensual and that the girl had lied about her age, but he was convicted following a trial that utilised CCTV, text messages, and medical evidence.

Prosecutors praised the girl’s immense bravery, with Procurator Fiscal Faye Cook stating: "This was a predatory and deeply distressing attack on a child who was simply trying to get home safely."

In addition to his jail term, Popa has been placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely and is banned from ever contacting his victim.

Detective Chief Inspector Steven McDonald emphasised the risk Popa posed to the community, noting he "preyed on this young girl's vulnerability" during an incident that was "extremely frightening for the girl, who simply wanted to get home."

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