SHIPU AHMED SENTENCED TO 22 YEARS FOR RAPE IN LUTON AND BEDFORDSHIRE
| Red Rose Database
Luton Rapist
In June 2018, a disturbing case of sexual assault involving a Luton-based taxi driver, Shipu Ahmed, culminated in his sentencing to 22 years in prison. The conviction followed a lengthy investigation that uncovered his involvement in two separate rape incidents that occurred over a decade earlier, in 2007, and his subsequent arrest in September of the previous year for unrelated domestic violence charges.
Ahmed, aged 36 at the time of sentencing, was only apprehended after police linked his DNA to evidence collected from the crime scenes. The case was brought to light after he was initially detained for domestic violence, which did not result in charges at the time. However, during the investigation, authorities sent DNA samples from black cab drivers in Luton to a database, seeking to eliminate potential suspects. Ahmed, who had refused to provide a DNA sample during the initial inquiry, was not followed up immediately, but his DNA was eventually matched to evidence from the 2007 assaults.
At his trial at Luton Crown Court, the jury found Ahmed guilty of both charges—rape of a 15-year-old girl and a 22-year-old woman. The court was told that Ahmed appeared via video link from Bedford Prison for his sentencing hearing. The details of the crimes were harrowing. The first victim, a 15-year-old girl, was pulled from his black cab at night and assaulted at a secluded location known as Totternhoe Knolls in Bedfordshire. The court heard that Ahmed had lured her into his vehicle after she had been drinking with friends and had an argument, walking away alone towards Cow Lane in Edlesborough.
According to prosecutor Sally Hobson, the girl had seen the defendant’s taxi and accepted a lift, despite her initial insistence on paying her fare. Instead, Ahmed drove her away from her intended destination, heading towards Totternhoe. At the remote picnic area, he stopped the vehicle, wearing gloves, and forcibly pulled her from the cab. The victim recounted her struggle and shock as Ahmed pulled down her trousers and underwear, then proceeded to rape her at knifepoint, discarding a condom at the scene. The police recovered a pink condom from the area. The girl managed to tell a friend afterward that she had been raped by a taxi driver.
The second victim, a 22-year-old woman, was intoxicated when she left Cubes nightclub in Dunstable early on December 15, 2007. She and a male acquaintance entered Ahmed’s taxi, intending to go to the man’s home in Luton. While her companion went to retrieve his car keys, Ahmed allegedly drove off with her. The woman, heavily intoxicated and unable to move or speak properly, was reportedly taken advantage of by Ahmed, who raped her without a condom before dropping her off in Lewsey Farm, Luton. She was heard shouting, “You bastard. You raped me,” as she exited the vehicle. DNA evidence from the woman confirmed the assault.
During the trial, victim impact statements were read aloud. The younger woman expressed that she had since become a mother and had moved on from the incident, but at the time, she felt nobody believed her. The older woman described suffering from stress, night terrors, and mood swings, which had strained her relationship with her partner. The court also ordered Ahmed to register as a sex offender for life, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the lasting impact on the victims.
Ahmed, aged 36 at the time of sentencing, was only apprehended after police linked his DNA to evidence collected from the crime scenes. The case was brought to light after he was initially detained for domestic violence, which did not result in charges at the time. However, during the investigation, authorities sent DNA samples from black cab drivers in Luton to a database, seeking to eliminate potential suspects. Ahmed, who had refused to provide a DNA sample during the initial inquiry, was not followed up immediately, but his DNA was eventually matched to evidence from the 2007 assaults.
At his trial at Luton Crown Court, the jury found Ahmed guilty of both charges—rape of a 15-year-old girl and a 22-year-old woman. The court was told that Ahmed appeared via video link from Bedford Prison for his sentencing hearing. The details of the crimes were harrowing. The first victim, a 15-year-old girl, was pulled from his black cab at night and assaulted at a secluded location known as Totternhoe Knolls in Bedfordshire. The court heard that Ahmed had lured her into his vehicle after she had been drinking with friends and had an argument, walking away alone towards Cow Lane in Edlesborough.
According to prosecutor Sally Hobson, the girl had seen the defendant’s taxi and accepted a lift, despite her initial insistence on paying her fare. Instead, Ahmed drove her away from her intended destination, heading towards Totternhoe. At the remote picnic area, he stopped the vehicle, wearing gloves, and forcibly pulled her from the cab. The victim recounted her struggle and shock as Ahmed pulled down her trousers and underwear, then proceeded to rape her at knifepoint, discarding a condom at the scene. The police recovered a pink condom from the area. The girl managed to tell a friend afterward that she had been raped by a taxi driver.
The second victim, a 22-year-old woman, was intoxicated when she left Cubes nightclub in Dunstable early on December 15, 2007. She and a male acquaintance entered Ahmed’s taxi, intending to go to the man’s home in Luton. While her companion went to retrieve his car keys, Ahmed allegedly drove off with her. The woman, heavily intoxicated and unable to move or speak properly, was reportedly taken advantage of by Ahmed, who raped her without a condom before dropping her off in Lewsey Farm, Luton. She was heard shouting, “You bastard. You raped me,” as she exited the vehicle. DNA evidence from the woman confirmed the assault.
During the trial, victim impact statements were read aloud. The younger woman expressed that she had since become a mother and had moved on from the incident, but at the time, she felt nobody believed her. The older woman described suffering from stress, night terrors, and mood swings, which had strained her relationship with her partner. The court also ordered Ahmed to register as a sex offender for life, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the lasting impact on the victims.