Woman ‘raped in back of taxi’

A woman has allegedly been raped in the back of a taxi by a driver who refused to take her home.

The woman was with two men and another woman who were dropped off in Glen Court, Motherwell, by a silver Chevrolet Cruze private hire taxi.

However, the 23-year-old then got back into the vehicle and asked the driver to take her home.

It is claimed he refused and then allegedly raped her in the back of the car.

The woman then got out of the taxi and spoke to a passer-by who helped her get a taxi to Motherwell police station, where she reported the incident.

A 42-year-old man was later arrested and has been released pending further inquiries.

Police are appealing for information about the alleged incident, which happened at around 8.30pm on Thursday October 18.

Detective Inspector Aileen Boyle, from the Divisional Rape Investigation Unit, said: “Extensive inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding what happened and it is absolutely vital that anyone who can assist with our investigation comes forward.

“We understand that there may have been other members of the public in Glen Court around the time of the incident and we are appealing to anyone who noticed a taxi or a woman in distress to please get in touch.

“You may think your information is not significant, but let us be the judge of that, because it could be important to our inquiries.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact the Divisional Rape Investigation Unit based at Motherwell via 101, quoting incident number 3872 of Thursday 18 October 2018.

“Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where details can be given in confidence.”