Driver mistaken for Leeds cabbie raped lone woman and only arrested years later after DNA match, court told
A woman was raped by a passing driver she mistook for a taxi she had pre-booked, a jury has been told.
Rashid Kwabena Boachie’s DNA from that night in 2021 was only matched last year later after he was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape of another woman in Leeds city centre.
Boachie denies any wrongdoing and is on trial at Leeds Crown Court this week charged with rape, attempted rape and sexual assault.
Outlining the case to the jury, prosecutor Stephen Littlewood said that the first victim had been out drinking in the Hunslet area on the August bank holiday in 2021.
Intoxicated and becoming separated from friends later in the evening, she rang for a taxi. When a car pulled up, she got in, assuming it was the cab she had ordered.
However, Boachie was behind the wheel and he drove around looking for a “secluded place” to rape her, Mr Littlewood said.
He said Boachie pulled into one car park but was disturbed, so drove to another area off Middleton Grove, Middleton, where he put the seats down and raped her.
Afterwards, he drove her to where she had initially wanted the taxi to drop her off.
Crying and shaking, she told her mother what had happened and the police were contacted.
DNA samples were found on her clothing, but there was no match on the database, so the “case went cold”, Mr Littlewood added.
On August 9 last year, a woman had been out drinking in Leeds city centre and in the early hours she too became separated from friends.
Footage from various bars earlier that evening showed 44-year-old Boachie drinking and dancing and was being “persistent” in talking with females, Mr Littlewood said.
It was claimed the victim then bumped into Boachie in the street, who led her down an alleyway in Blayds Court, next to the Travelodge hotel, where the Crown say he tried to rape her.
However, she screamed and struggled which was heard by an employee of the hotel.
CCTV footage played to the court from that evening showed Boachie appearing to lead the woman by the arm. She was intoxicated and even fell over at one point.
He then appeared to lift her to her feet and continue guiding her towards the secluded area behind a collection of industrial bins.
When disturbed by the staff member, Boachie appeared to calmly wander off “pretending nothing had happened”, Mr Littlewood said.
Boachie was later arrested and during his interview denied attempting to rape or sexually assault the woman.
But after his DNA was taken, it flagged up as a match to the sample taken from the woman four years prior.
Boachie, of Ashby Terrace, Bramley, was later quizzed about that incident, but claimed it was consensual sex.
Mr Littlewood said: “It’s not a case of consent and she would not have been in any state to consent.”
He said both women’s drunken state was a key factor, adding: “He targeted these women for that reason.”
The trial, which is expected to last around three days, continues.