A FORMER taxi driver jailed for raping a young woman in a gym car park has been deported back to Pakistan.
Abid Mehmood, 30, formerly of Elmhurst Road, Quarrendon, was put behind bars in 2009 after attacking the woman in the back of his taxi on the car park of Nuffield Health Centre in Fairford Leys.
He was jailed for seven and a half years, and having served less than three years, has been sent back to Pakistan by the UK Border Agency, as is normal for any foreign national sentenced to more than 12 months in prison.
Mehmood has left behind a wife and two young children in Aylesbury, one of whom was born on the day he was convicted.
Former equalities officer at the Aylesbury Equality and Human Rights Council, Ranjula Takodra MBE, has been working with Mehmood’s wife throughout the case in an attempt to support her through this difficult time.
“Mehmood’s wife is just devastated,” said Mrs Takodra.
“It has been an incredibly difficult time for her, and her children will now have to be without a father.
“I believe that while the couple remain together, Mehmood’s wife will stay here, as she and the children were born and brought up in this country.
“Since the incident, the wife has been left to pick up the pieces – and I respect her a great deal for doing everything she could in these awful circumstances.”
Meanwhile, the Aylesbury Vale Rape Crisis group has praised the judicial system for convicting, jailing and deporting Mehmood for his crime.
A spokesman for the organisation said: “This has been a great result – the people involved in the organisation of his conviction and deportation have done very well indeed.
“It must be such a relief to the person which it happened to, as well as to her family and friends.
“It may also be a relief for the people of Aylesbury, knowing that he is no longer around.
“The results of this case send out signals that rape is taken very seriously, which is a big result.
“Rape can have effects that last for many, many years; such as flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive thoughts and difficulties in relationships.”
The police officer who dealt with the case at the time, Det Sgt Bob Ducker, has described the incident as having had a ‘deep effect on the victim’.
“This was a horrific attack on a vulnerable woman who had caught a taxi with the hope of getting home.
“The offender used his position to take advantage of this woman and raped her in a car park.
“The incident had a deep effect on the victim and she was offered the support of specially trained officers.
“While Mehmood was responsible for this attack there was no evidence to suggest that he was a predatory sex offender.”
If you have been affected by a sexual attack or have been a victim of rape, the Aylesbury Vale Rape Crisis group may be able to offer support.
Contact the organisation on 01296 392468.