Uber driver who raped woman walking home is jailed

An off-duty Uber driver who raped a mother as she walked home from a house party has been jailed for 12 years.

Daniel Hayelom, 36, attacked his victim after observing her making her way down Dewsbury Road in the Beeston area of Leeds at around 06:00 BST on 22 October 2023.

Leeds Crown Court was told the woman was too drunk to consent to sexual activity with Hayelom, who sexually assaulted her before raping her in an alleyway.

Sentencing the defendant, Judge Simon Phillips said the woman should have felt able to walk home safely, "without being targeted by a sexual predator".

The court heard Hayelom had finished working a shift at 01:00 BST earlier that morning and then went socialising with friends.

He then went into the Dewsbury Road area at around 06:00 where he drove around while observing the woman for "five or six minutes".

Hayelom's car was seen manoeuvring and turning around so he could keep sight of her.

CCTV footage showed the victim was "clearly inebriated" as she made her way down the street and she had briefly paused to sit at a bus stop.

Prosecutor Michael Smith said that after leaving his vehicle a short distance away from the area Hayelom approached the woman and said "happy day", before walking into her path and touching her buttocks.

The woman walked away and said "no", but the defendant followed her saying he wanted "more", and calling her "sexy".

He then sexually assaulted her in full view of the street, before raping her and then walking her the rest of the way home, it was said.

The defendant, who first came to the UK from Eritrea in 2011 and had no previous convictions, was found guilty of rape, sexual assault and sexual assault by penetration following a five-day trial last month.

The court was told his victim felt unable to leave the house unaccompanied since the attack and had suffered emotional distress and insomnia.

Mitigating for Hayelom, Sean Smith said that while the attack "became carefully planned", he had not initially gone to the area to "hunt" a victim.

Sentencing the defendant to 12 years in prison, with an additional licence period of four years, Judge Phillips told Hayelom he had been "intent on pursuing" his victim.

"You were doing so in a predatory manner and you were intent on securing your own sexual gratification without any concern for her safety or welfare."

Det Ch Insp James Entwistle, of West Yorkshire Police, praised Hayelom's victim for "the courage and mental fortitude she has shown during the investigation and the court process that has resulted in his conviction".

He added: "We hope she can find some degree of comfort in seeing him held criminally accountable for what he did to her.

"Women and girls should be safe to live their lives free from the fear of violence and harassment, and we remain fully committed to working alongside our partner agencies to make the county a safer place."

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