Taxi Driver Naveed Rana Sentenced to 5.5 Years for Sexual Assault of Young Woman in Dublin

A five-and-a-half-year prison sentence has been handed down to a taxi driver after he sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman in his vehicle. The 42-year-old driver, Naveed Rana, offered his services to the woman and her friends when he saw them searching for a taxi after a night out in Dublin City Centre on 11 October 2023.

The victim was initially accompanied in the taxi by two friends, a woman and a man. However, after dropping off the other two passengers, Rana left the victim alone. At one point, the victim left the car to help the other woman into her home, and when she came back, Rana directed her to sit in the front passenger seat. He immediately started following a route away from the victim’s home.

Rana initially attempted to kiss the woman and then began to assault her sexually. He continued to drive while this happened, and the Court was told that his driving had become erratic. After some time, he pulled over to force the teenager to masturbate him.

The Dublin Circuit Court heard that the victim believed Rana wanted to kill her and was paralysed with fear during the ordeal. Rana eventually drove her to her destination after he noticed she had sent a friend to her location and “panicked “. Rana believed the victim was sending her sister a Snapchat message.

The victim reported the crime to the Gardaí straight away. She had taken a picture of Rana’s vehicle as he drove away, which was vital to the Gardaí’s subsequent arrest. Rana was located within a few weeks, even though he had moved house in the interim. He initially denied that he had done anything wrong when speaking to Gardaí.

Before Judge Elma Sheahan at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Rana pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault against the victim on the night in question. The driver, who ordinarily resides in Ballynakelly Gate, Newcastle, Co Dublin, had already been charged with a serious drug offence and was on bail when the attack occurred. In light of this, Judge Sheahan refused to suspend Rana’s prison term.

While handing down the sentence, Judge Sheahan pointed out that Rana had a vulnerable customer in his car who was entitled to trust him, and he took advantage of that trust. In doing so, he traumatised the woman. The judge added that, as Rana was driving her in the opposite direction than her home, the victim “believed she was going to be killed” and “was unable to react other than follow instructions”.

In her deliberations, Judge Sheahan considered several mitigating factors, such as Rana’s admission of guilt, his remorsefulness, and his role as a husband and father to young children. Rana’s prior drug offence was also a pertinent consideration despite the fact that he had already been ordered to carry out community service for it.

The young woman, who did not want to be present at the trial, submitted a victim impact statement which detailed the “total fear” she had been experiencing since the attack. The victim, who used to frequently travel via taxi, no longer feels she can do so out of worry that she could be harmed again. She went on to describe the ordeal as “the most disgusting thing to have happened to [her]”. Counsel for the defendant, Paul Greene SC, told the Court that the driver was seen as a “decent person” by those in his community and that the attack was out of character. Rana also submitted a formal apology to the victim for his actions.