Arrest after 'bogus taxi driver demanded sexual favours from woman' outside Shrewsbury nightclub
A man has been arrested after allegedly posing as a taxi driver and then asking his victim to perform sexual acts before he would let her out of his vehicle.
The woman, who is in her 30s, had been out for the evening at a nightclub in Shrewsbury when, feeling woozy, she stepped outside and hailed a cab. Police said she refused to do what the driver said and got home safely before calling police.
A car arrived and she got in, but halfway home the driver said he would take her no further unless she gave in to his demands.
The woman said that the man had pulled up in a dark coloured car which looked ‘looked like a cab’ outside The Buttermarket on Howards Bank in the heart of the town at just after midnight.
She got in and gave him her address but one en route he stopped the vehicle and said she had to perform a sex act on him before he would take her to her home.
She refused and in the end the man, who was described as Asian, took her to her address.
Once there she rushed in to the house and did not make a note of the registration number of the car.
However, on reporting the incident to the police, officers were able to trace the car and the man was arrested and interviewed on Monday.
Inspector Ed Hancox from West Mercia Police said: “I can confirm that after swift inquiries made by the officer in the case,a male was arrested for this offence. We are not aware of any similar offences taking place in Shrewsbury over the past few weeks.
"We will be working with partners including Pubwatch, Shropshire Council, and Street Pastors to make sure such offences remain rare in Shrewsbury.”
