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Man jailed for 16 years after pulling woman off central London street and raping her

 (Met Police)
(Met Police)

A man who claimed to be a learner taxi driver who dragged a woman into a car in a “terrifying” rape and kidnap ordeal has been jailed for 16 years.

Abdulahi Mohamud, prowled the streets of central London in his car before finding a young woman locked out of a home in Noel Street, Soho early on a cold January morning.

CCTV captured a man getting out of a dark car, walking towards the victim and forcing her into the vehicle before driving away.

The survivor reported to police that she had been kidnapped and raped by an unknown attacker.

She was unable to tell officers where she was kidnapped but revealed she had been at a bar just off Oxford Street earlier.

Officers examined the venue’s CCTV which showed the victim leaving and getting into a taxi.

They tracked that cab to a property on Noel Street, close to where she had planned on staying the evening of January 25 2022.

Cameras captured the moment Mohamud got out of his car and dragged the victim inside at 4.50am.

Detectives spent hours painstakingly finding a shot on CCTV that showed his number plate.

Mohamud was tracked and stopped by officers on the Kings Road, Chelsea on January 28.

When questioned Mohamud denied the offences and claimed that his repeated journeys around central London were because he was training to be a taxi driver.

DC James Brevitt thanked the victim for her courage in coming forward. He said: “Mohamud carried out a terrifying attack on a young woman, taking complete advantage of the fact she was outside alone at night.

“From our enquiries it was clear that Mohamud was driving around for hours that night – and on previous evenings – looking for someone he could get into his car and abuse.

“He is an extremely dangerous individual and we are pleased he is now behind bars for a significant period of time.”

On Thursday Abdulahi Mohamud, of Stratford Close, New Malden, was sentenced to jail for rape and kidnap.

The judge praised detectives for the depth and detail of their work which led to Mohamud being identified.

If you have been a victim of sexual assault or rape, including non-recent abuse, or you have information about an offender, contact police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.