On the night of 8 July 2022, a young woman got into a taxi in the center of Oslo. But instead of driving her where she was going, the driver drives her to a car park at Sognsvann. Here the woman was raped by the driver. She was unable to resist what happened, according to the indictment. Kidnapped for several hours Just over seven months later, the taxi driver once again takes a young, female passenger with him. The time is 00:39. The woman gets into the taxi at Solli plass. The driver drives her to various places in Oslo with several longer stops and molests her, according to the indictment. After almost five hours in the car, a little before 05:30 in the morning, the woman is dropped off in Ullevålsveien. Before she escaped, he allegedly stole a bank card from her purse. Withdrawn it in the taxi’s bank terminal. Amount NOK 2,250. On Tuesday, the driver pleaded guilty only to the theft of bank cards. – Serious matter – When you try to get home safely after a trip out on the town and end up in that situation here, it is a serious matter, says state attorney Kristin Røhne. The two women reported the conditions. According to the prosecutor, it was a good piece of police work that led to the now 30-year-old man being arrested. State Attorney Kristin Røhne is the prosecutor in the case. Photo: Pål Hansen / news Among other things, collecting information from various toll stations and mobile base stations. – It is a patchwork of circumstances that made it possible to get to the defendant, says Røhne. Pleads not guilty Asfand-yar Thathal defends the former taxi driver. – My client pleads not guilty after the indictment. The defense attorney will not go into what his client has explained. – He will return to his explanation of what happened during the main hearing. Associate attorney Asfand-yar Thathal in the Greaker x Storrvik law firm is the man’s defender. Photo: Greaker x Storrvik Advokatfirma The man no longer drives a taxi. – During the investigation, he was deprived of both his driving license and driver’s license. It is not known which taxi company the man drove for. Ran away from the country The case against the taxi driver was originally supposed to have gone to court in March this year. But it was postponed because the defendant disappeared. The court decided that he should be arrested. He was wanted internationally. At the beginning of April, he was arrested at a border crossing between Germany and Denmark. – He has explained that he was on his way to Oslo and that he had mistaken the dates for when the trial was supposed to be, says Thathal. Since then, the man has been in custody. – Looking forward to processing the case. Hege Salomon is the legal representative for the woman who was kidnapped. – It is a serious indictment that concerns deprivation of liberty and sexual offences. – I look forward to the case being dealt with by the court after a long delay as the defendant has stayed abroad, says Salomon. Hege Salomon is the legal representative for the woman who was kept locked up in a taxi for almost five hours. Photo: Nadir Mohammad Alam / news Risks several years in prison The former taxi driver risks several years in prison, if he is convicted. According to the prosecutor, the penalty for rape is four years, if there are no aggravating or mitigating circumstances. – It is possible that we will come to some aggravating circumstances, says prosecutor Kristin Røhne. Kidnapping is punishable by imprisonment for up to three years. Six days have been set aside for the case in the Oslo district court. Published 29/10/2024, at 08.22 Updated 29.10.2024, at 09.23
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Taxi driver indicted for rape and kidnapping of passengers – Greater Oslo
