A taxi driver who raped a drunk woman in his cab was jailed for six years today.
Anwar Sadat Chowdhury, 41, took advantage of the woman after she jumped into his taxi in Inverness town centre in the early hours of August 5, 2018.
Chowdhury, originally from Bangladesh but now living in Inverness, drove to Culloden where he forced himself on his victim in the back of his licenced vehicle.
A trial at the High Court in Aberdeen heard how the woman was too drunk to give consent to the married father-of-one.
Chowdhury tried to claim she was willing and had left his taxi happy but a jury unanimously found him guilty of rape on November 8 last year.
Today judge Lord Uist branded his denial and evidence "ridiculous" and said lone women returning home after a night out should be able to trust their taxi driver.
The case sparked calls for CCTV to be installed into every cab across Scotland.
Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr, a north-east MSP, said that, following his conviction, local authorities across the country should consider implementing new rules about security cameras in taxis.
He told the Mail on Sunday: “While the vast majority of taxi drivers are courteous and professional, all women recognise the extreme vulnerability of travelling in a taxi alone at night.
“One way of reassuring the public would be for councils to ensure there are CCTV cameras in taxis, which would also be helpful in providing evidence for any prosecution if, sadly, it were needed.”
