Predatory Uber-driver rapist who thought he 'hit the jackpot' with drunk Leeds woman is jailed
A predatory driver who stalked a drunken woman as she made her way home and then raped her in an alleyway has been jailed.
Daniel Hayelom, a private-hire Uber driver who was off duty at the time, followed a woman along the quiet streets of Beeston in the early hours of the morning, before getting out and coaxing her into a quiet walkway.
Much of the incident was caught on CCTV as he slowed down and followed the woman in his car, before getting out and approaching her.
He denied the allegations, claiming she consented, but he was found guilty of rape following a trial at Leeds Crown Court.
Hayelom was today handed a 16-year extended sentence after he was deemed to be a danger to women. This is made up of a 12-year custodial sentence and a four-year extended licence period.
Judge Simon Phillips KC said: “She should have felt entitled to have walked home safely that morning, without being targeted by a sexual predator.
“You identified her as a vulnerable and lone female. You were clearly observing her and monitoring her movements.
“You were, I find, scoping her. It was to be a carefully planned attack.”
During the trial it was heard that the woman had been at a house party in October 21 last year, and was drunkenly walking home at around 6am along Dewsbury Road in Beeston.
Hayelom stopped and watched her as she stood in a shop front looking at her phone, and then sat at a bus stop, clearly “scoping out just how vulnerable” she was, the Crown said.
The 36-year-old claimed he thought he knew the woman from his gym and was trying to figure out if it was her, a claim rejected by Judge Phillips.
He then parked up and approached the woman, leaving his car a distance away in order to avoid her possibly identifying him later through his vehicle. However, it was all caught on street CCTV.
Walking up to her, he put his arms around her and kissed her within just three seconds, before putting his hand into her underwear just two minutes later.
During the trial, prosecutor Michael Smith said: “It was not genuine consent and he knew it. He hit the jackpot because he had found a woman too drunk to refuse. This was bold sexual abuse.”
The woman could be heard on CCTV telling Hayelom she was going home, but he could be heard saying he “needed more”.
He then walked with her until they reach the alleyway between Poundland and Aldi off Tunstall Road where he raped her.
Hayelom claimed she facilitated sex by asking him if he had a condom, but the Crown maintained throughout the trial that the woman was too drunk to give consent, with which the jury agreed.
Detectives from West Yorkshire Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team launched an investigation, which included trawling CCTV in the area to trace the victim’s movements.
The vehicle’s registration was identified, and he was arrested later that day. Hayelom, of Clyde Approach, Armley, was then forensically linked to the offence by DNA recovered from the victim.
Hayelom was subsequently charged with rape and appeared at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on October 26, 2023.
The jury at Leeds Crown Court unanimously found him guilty after a five-day trial. He was also found guilty of sexual assault and assault by penetration. He was placed on the sexual offender register for life, and given a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for an indeterminate length.
A victim impact statement was summarised to the court by Michael Smith, in which he said she suffers from “mini panic attacks”, struggling to sleep and suffering nightmares.
She has been prescribed medication ands suffering from constant emotional trauma. She also found the gathering of evidence and Hayelom’s trial as “violating”.
She suffers from shame and embarrassment and a “deep sense of self loathing” as a result of Hayelom’s sickening attack.
Judge Phillips said she clearly suffered “severe psychological harm”.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle said: “Hayelom targeted the victim as someone he saw as being vulnerable at the time. He could have helped her to get home safely but instead he chose to prey on her for his own gratification.
“His actions have had a significant traumatic impact on the victim, and we commend her for the courage and mental fortitude she has shown during the investigation and the court process that has resulted in his conviction.
“We hope she can find some degree of comfort in seeing him held criminally accountable for what he did to her.
“Women and girls should be safe to live their lives free from the fear of violence and harassment, and we remain fully committed to working alongside our partner agencies to make the county a safer place.