Bogus Hull taxi driver jailed for rape of teenager

Lazarus Olleh, 38, of Belmont Street in Hull, was sentenced on Wednesday following a trial at Hull Crown Court

A bogus taxi driver who lured a young woman to a flat before raping her has been jailed for 12 years.

Lazarus Olleh, 38, was parked in a Hull taxi rank and targeted his 18-year-old victim after she left a nightclub in the city.

He had denied raping the woman but a jury at Hull Crown Court decided he was guilty of the October 2022 attack.

Det Con Ethan Anderson, of Humberside Police, said: "Olleh is a clear danger to women."

A spokesperson for the force said Olleh, of Belmont Street in Hull, was not a licensed taxi driver and had been waiting for an opportunity to attack a woman.

'Clear danger'

Speaking after the conclusion of the case on Wednesday, Det Con Anderson said the woman had left friends and was alone went she went for a taxi.

"He saw the girl and went over to her, spoke with her, and took her to his car.

"He sat her in the passenger seat and then drove her to a nearby flat where he raped her."

"Olleh is a clear danger to women, he was waiting for an opportunity that night to take and rape a girl," he added.

The woman was later dropped off in the New Bridge Road area where she sought help from friends after the attack on 29 October, according to police.

Det Con Anderson said she had shown "huge resilience", adding that Olleh would have continued to offend had she not come forward.

Olleh was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.