Romford: Taxi Driver Rapist Jailed

A Romford taxi driver who raped a teenage female customer has been jailed for eight years.

The 17-year-old victim passed out after drinking too much while out with friends in Romford.

Street pastors and door staff helped her, then arranged for a licensed cab to take her home to Basildon.

But the driver, Nicolae Talaba, took advantage of the girl?s drunken condition and raped her after stopping the car near her home address.

Romanian-born Talaba, formerly of Mawney Road, carried on working after the attack in February 2012 but he was arrested when he returned to England fter a holiday in Romania in July 2012.

He was found guilty of one count of rape after a six-day trial at Southend Crown Court and was sentenced on Monday January 21.

He was also placed on the Sex Offender Register for life.

Senior Investigating Officer DI Danny Stoten said: "This was a lengthy and painstaking investigation that lasted almost a year. Talaba took advantage of the trust placed upon him and committed this terrible offence against a vulnerable teenage girl.

"When the rape was reported the offender's identity was unknown. He was previously from Romania and so he was not on the DNA database. The hard work of the officers involved in the initial investigation, the co-operation of the public and some excellent investigative skills identified Talaba as the offender.

"He was traced to Albania and arrested at Dover upon his return to the UK. He has showed no remorse and denied the offence throughout. This meant that the victim had to give evidence against him."