UK: Taxi driver jailed for nine years for raping sleeping passenger

The jailed taxi driver has been identified as Dominic Dalton.

Sharing details of the incident, Dyfed-Powys Police said in a statement: "The victim had been on a night out with a friend in Aberystwyth, when she got into a taxi driven by Dominic Dalton in the early hours of Sunday, February 25, 2024."

Police said the victim believed Dalton to be a trusted taxi driver who would safely get her home. 

"On the journey back, Dalton dropped her friend off first and then took the victim home. Swansea Crown Court heard how he claimed the taxi meter stopped working at this point, as the journey was never recorded past the friend’s address," the police said.

"During the ride home the victim fell in and out of sleep. When they got to her address, Dalton woke her and helped her inside, guiding her up to her bedroom, where she fell back to sleep. She woke to find Dalton raping her," the police said.

"To try and get him to leave, in desperation, she ran and grabbed a knife from her kitchen, screaming at him to leave her house," police said.

After he refused to do so, police said the victim managed to flee the property barefoot, slashing the taxi’s tyres, as she left.

"She found solace at a nearby address and bravely contacted police to disclose what had happened," police said.

Police said Dalton left the property in his taxi,and parked up nearby. He was picked up by another taxi driver after flagging them down, claiming he had had a blowout.

He later drove back to the victim's home address, returning her mobile phone after realising he had taken with him.

"Whilst there, he saw that police were already in the area. The court heard how he then made attempts to formulate his story and used his mobile phone to access websites with articles including ‘have you been falsely accused of rape?’ and ‘perverting the course of justice’, ‘wasting police time in cases involving allegedly false allegations of rape’," police said.

He was arrested the same day, and following a lengthy investigation by Dyfed-Powys Police, Dalton was charged with rape.

Appearing at Swansea Crown Court, he denied the offence, claiming the sex was consensual, but after a five-day trial, on January 17th, the jury took less than two hours to deliberate and unanimously found him guilty. 

On Wednesday 18th February, he was sentenced to nine years in prison. 

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Mathew Nelson, said: “I sincerely commend the victim’s bravery and resilience in coming forward to report the heinous crime of which she had been subjected to. Engaging with the Criminal Justice System as the victim has in this case takes an act of immense courage that deserves profound respect. By standing up and reporting Dalton, the victim has protected other members of the community too.  I hope this conviction and sentencing brings some closure to the victim after experiencing such an horrific ordeal." 

“As a taxi driver, Dalton’s job was to ensure that his passengers got home safely. 

He abused that position that night, exploiting the victim’s vulnerability, and later went on to lie about his actions. The conviction and sentence passed serves to punish Dalton for his actions, but importantly also validates the victim’s voice. 

“I hope the outcome will give confidence to other victims, in knowing their voices will be heard and listened to. I hope for the wider community, you will feel safe in the knowledge that a perpetrator such as Dalton has been dealt with robustly.”