An Uber driver who held a female passenger at knifepoint and raped her has been jailed for 16 years. Adam Daley, 33, picked up two women from outside a bar in Leicester city centre, UK after a night out on December 29 last year. After dropping one of the passengers off, he ordered the other into the front seat and forced her to perform oral sex on him.
Details of the Attack
The victim, a woman in her 20s, had been out with her friend. They were about to order an Uber when Daley pulled up alongside them and offered to take them home if they booked through the app. He dropped her friend home and continued to the victim's address. During the drive, Daley started making sexualised comments towards the victim and asking her inappropriate questions. Shortly after leaving the city, Daley pulled over in a layby, claiming he needed to go to the toilet. However, he then ordered the woman to move into the front seat before forcing her to perform oral sex on him by threatening her with a knife. He also pulled down her top and touched her breasts. After she pleaded with him to stop, he left the woman in the layby and sped off.
Arrest and Investigation
The victim immediately called 999, and Daley was arrested an hour later, with police able to track his movements using CCTV and ANPR cameras. While officers were attempting to arrest Daley, he tried to grab his phone and stamp on it to destroy evidence. Detectives reviewed CCTV and his phone data to track his movements both before and after the attack. Despite the victim's DNA being found on his penis and underwear, Daley denied the offence, claiming her DNA had transferred from a water bottle he used to wash after urinating. Detectives also discovered that Daley had driven past the victim three times after the incident.
Court Sentencing
At Leicester Crown Court, Daley was sentenced to 16 years in prison after being found guilty of one count of rape, one count of sexual assault, one count of possession of a bladed article, and one count of threats to kill. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of a child, found on his phone. Additionally, he was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a restraining order preventing contact with the victim. He had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of drug driving.
Police Appeal for Other Victims
Leicestershire Police has warned that the Uber driver could have had more victims and urged anyone to come forward. Detective Constable Matt Smith said: 'I want to commend the victim in this case during what has been an extremely difficult six months. Her actions that night and the strength and bravery she has shown during the investigation and trial has ensured a dangerous individual is now behind bars. Despite her deeply traumatic and distressing experience, that night she demonstrated exceptional presence of mind and was able to contact police immediately after Daley had driven off. Thanks to this, officers were able to act quickly to identify and locate the suspect in a very short space of time. This was crucial to our investigation and ensured not only that key forensic evidence could still be detected but that he was apprehended before he attacked anyone else. Daley targeted a lone woman after she trusted him to get her home safely. Given his job as an Uber driver, it is possible there could be more victims that have not come forward. We take reports of sexual assault very seriously, and anyone who wishes to report offences will be spoken to by specialist officers in the team.'
