Adam Daley, a 33-year-old Uber driver, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for raping a female passenger at knifepoint after picking her up in Leicester city centre. Police have warned that there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward.
Details of the attack
Daley collected the woman, in her 20s, from Leicester city centre around 5.30am on December 29 last year. During the journey, he pulled into a lay-by on Soar Valley Way near Fosse Park, brandished a knife, and raped her while threatening to kill her. After the assault, he abandoned her in the lay-by and drove off.
The victim contacted Leicestershire Police immediately. Using CCTV and ANPR cameras, officers traced Daley's Toyota Auris and intercepted him on Vaughan Way in the city centre within approximately an hour of the attack. As police attempted to apprehend him, Daley, who had been consuming cocaine, tried to break his phone to destroy evidence. Officers later found indecent images of children and bestiality on the device.
Conviction and sentencing
Daley, of Chester Close, St Matthews, Leicester, admitted to the image offences but denied the rape, forcing his victim to testify at trial. A jury at Leicester Crown Court found him guilty of rape, sexual assault, making threats to kill, and possessing a knife in public without lawful reason.
On Friday, July 10, he returned to court for sentencing, where he received a 16-year prison term, an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, and a restraining order to protect the victim.
In a separate case at Leicester Magistrates' Court in April, Daley pleaded guilty to drug driving and was disqualified from driving for 20 months, fined £200, and ordered to pay £85 in court costs and an £80 victim surcharge.
Police statement and possible further victims
Detective Constable Matt Smith praised the victim's bravery: "I want to commend the victim in this case during what has been an extremely difficult six months. Her actions that night and the strength and bravery she has shown during the investigation and trial has ensured a dangerous individual is now behind bars."
He added: "Despite her deeply traumatic and distressing experience, that night she demonstrated exceptional presence of mind and was able to contact police immediately after Daley had driven off. Thanks to this, officers were able to act quickly to identify and locate the suspect in a very short space of time. This was crucial to our investigation and ensured not only key forensic evidence could still be detected but that he was apprehended before he attacked anyone else."
DC Smith also highlighted the potential for other victims: "Daley targeted a lone woman after she trusted him to get her home safely. Given his job as an Uber driver it is possible there could be more victims that have not come forward. We take reports of sexual assault very seriously and anyone who wishes to report offences will be spoken to by specialist officers in the team."
