ABDUL SAMAD CONVICTED IN GLASGOW FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT ON YOUNG WOMAN
Update 12/02/2026: A takeaway driver who evaded justice for four years after his conviction for sexually assaulting a young woman has finally been jailed.Abdul Samad, 43, duped his then 20-year-old victim into believing he was a taxi driver as she tried to get home, then attacked her in July 2019.
Samad was found guilty by a jury at Glasgow Sheriff Court in 2022 but failed to appear in court and remained a free man until he was arrested at Heathrow Airport in January.
The married father-of-two has now been brought to the dock, this time from custody, and jailed for 29 months.
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Abdul Samad, a 39-year-old man, assaulted a 20-year-old woman in Glasgow after pretending to be a private hire driver.
The incident occurred early morning on Wallace Street at around 5am, while the victim was waiting for her Uber.
According to reports, the woman had been drinking with friends until just after 3am in the south side of the city, and when her phone lost battery life, her friend called an Uber.
She then walked to Wallace Street, where she believed she saw her ride and approached a silver Nissan Primera that stopped nearby.
The woman recounted, "The car slowed down, so I wrongly identified it as my taxi.
I told him where I was going and he said he could take me." She entered the front seat for a sense of control, noting there was a Just Eat delivery bag and a child carrier in the back.
Once inside, Samad quickly drove onto the M74 eastbound, opposite the direction of her home.
She described how he started behaving inappropriately, asking if she had any undergarments on and touching her leg, then instructed her to relax and stop crying.
As they traveled along the motorway, Samad sexually assaulted her in a prolonged ordeal, grabbing her hand and thrusting it down his trousers.
She tried to ignore his actions and kept her eyes on the window, crying the entire time.
Ten minutes earlier, CCTV footage captured Samad laughing while collecting an order from the Guru Grill on Oswald Street, then taking a route toward Tollcross for the delivery.
During the delivery, he paused outside a customer's house, left his car to retrieve a money bag, and expressed fears of theft.
The victim remained frozen with fear and did not attempt to escape or shout during the delivery, feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what he was capable of.
As his shift ended, Samad returned to his car and told the crying girl he would take her home.
Continuing west on the M74, he sexually assaulted her again.
Around 6am, he dropped her near her home, where she quickly changed into pajamas and ran to her father’s bedroom.
Her father, giving evidence, said she was crying and had not called him "daddy" since childhood.
Concerned, he called the police immediately after she disclosed the assault.
Following a ten-day investigation, police forcefully entered Samad's home to arrest him after he refused to answer the door.
Initially, he denied any assault in the car, but DNA evidence linked him to the victim’s clothes.
He later claimed that she had forced his hand and touched him against his will.
The victim reflected on her experience, stating, "When you go through something as traumatic as that, you can never forget what’s been done to you.
You try to forget the face behind it." Now 23, she revealed that the trauma led her to antidepressants and an eating disorder.
Despite considerable evidence, Samad pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutor Mark Allan questioned him, asking if it was believable that a young woman desperate to get home would behave inappropriately toward him, to which Samad responded affirmatively, claiming he thought her behavior was possibly culturally acceptable.
A jury of nine men and six women deliberated for just 15 minutes before finding Samad guilty of sexual assault.
Though he carried a Just Eat bag, the restaurant he was associated with, Guru Grill, stated they did not list him as a driver on their app, and Just Eat could not confirm if he was delivering for them that night.
A spokesman explained, "Carrying a Just Eat bag is not evidence of someone delivering on behalf of Just Eat because many self-employed couriers deliver for multiple apps." A warrant has now been issued for Samad's arrest as he failed to appear for the verdict and sentencing.
