A predatory taxi driver has been jailed for raping a sleeping passenger after carrying her to bed.
Dominic Dalton took advantage of his victim after she fell asleep in his cab, a court heard.
The woman had been picked up along with a friend following a night out in Aberystwyth, Wales, on February 25, 2024.
Dalton, 30, of Pencader, Carmarthenshire, dropped off the friend before turning off his meter and taking the sleeping woman home and putting her to bed.
She later woke to find him raping her.
The woman managed to grab a knife from the kitchen and screamed at him to leave her house.
When he refused, she ran outside barefooted at used the knife to slash his tyres before seeking refuge at a neighbour’s house, where she alerted the police.
Dalton eventually left the property in his car and parked up nearby.
The predatory cabbie then flagged up another taxi, claiming that his tyres had blown out.
He later drove back to the woman’s home when he realised her phone was with him.
However, police had already arrived in the area.
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In a desperate attempt to avoid being caught, he made attempts to formulate his story, the court heard.
His phone records revealed searches including ‘have you been falsely accused of rape?’ and ‘perverting the course of justice’, ‘wasting police time in cases involving allegedly false allegations of rape’.
The taxi driver was later arrested, but denied charges of rape, telling Swansea Crown Court that the sexual activity was entirely consensual.
He was sentenced to nine years in prison on Wednesday.
A jury had found him guilty after less than two hours of deliberation.
DI Mathew Nelson said: ‘I sincerely commend the victim’s bravery and resilience in coming forward to report the heinous crime of which she had been subjected to.
‘Engaging with the Criminal Justice System as the victim has in this case takes an act of immense courage that deserves profound respect.
‘By standing up and reporting Dalton, the victim has protected other members of the community too. I hope this conviction and sentencing brings some closure to the victim after experiencing such an horrific ordeal.
‘As a taxi driver, Dalton’s job was to ensure that his passengers got home safely. He abused that position that night, exploiting the victim’s vulnerability, and later went on to lie about his actions.
‘The conviction and sentence passed serves to punish Dalton for his actions, but importantly also validate the victim’s voice.
‘I hope the outcome will give confidence to other victims, in knowing their voices will be heard and listened to.
‘I hope for the wider community, you will feel safe in the knowledge that a perpetrator such as Dalton has been dealt with robustly.’
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