Damian Watson, 36 has been jailed for five years and six months after posing as an Uber taxi driver to kidnap a woman and then force her to expose herself
A man who posed as a taxi driver to kidnap a woman and then forced her to expose herself has been jailed.
Damian Watson, 36, drove around in his van “looking for a vulnerable female” before parking outside Anfield Stadium in Liverpool in April. A court heard that a woman had attended an event at the stadium and booked a ride into Liverpool city centre to meet friends. She entered Watson’s white Mercedes van, believing it to be her Uber.
Once inside, the newspaper delivery driver locked the doors and demanded that she expose her breasts, keeping her captive for around half an hour. At Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, Watson was sentenced to five years and six months in prison, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Prosecutor Neil Bisarya said Watson had parked near the Shankly Gates as he was “looking for a vulnerable lone female to target”. During the journey, the victim noticed the driver had stopped in a secluded alleyway she did not recognise.
The prosecutor said: “She looked out of the window and did not recognise where she was. In addition, she got a notification saying that her Uber had been cancelled. This alarmed her, as she believed she was in the Uber. She asked the defendant where she was. He replied: ‘You’re in Bootle now, love’.”
Despite her request to be taken to the city centre, he instead turned to her and demanded she expose herself. The “panicked” woman tried to open the door but found it locked, and repeatedly pleaded to be let out
Watson repeated his demand “in an aggressive manner” four times before unbuckling his seatbelt and telling her he would let her out if she complied.
The victim ‘feared he was going to rape her’
The court heard the “extremely scared” victim then “complied under duress” because she “feared he was going to rape her”. Watson then drove off again before repeating the demand, telling her he “wouldn’t touch her” before stopping the van once more.
Mr Bisarya told the court: “Again, under fear and duress, she exposed her breasts to the defendant for a second time. The defendant was not satisfied with the view he had and asked her to move so that he could see her breasts better. It was only when she was in distress and hyperventilating that the defendant stopped any further demands.”
Watson later drove her into the city centre and let her out at the junction of Berry Street and Seel Street. It emerged that he had filmed the incident by attaching his mobile phone to the centre console.
Under interview, Watson accepted that he had given the woman a lift but “denied making sexual requests of her”.
Having kept her in his van for a “protracted period of time” of around 20 to 25 minutes, Mr Bisarya added: “This was not opportunistic. It was planned, searching for a vulnerable female.”
Watson held his head in his hands throughout the hearing
David Woods, defending, said Watson was a man of “good character” with no previous convictions.
He said: “He was employed as a delivery driver, delivering newspapers, and was therefore likely to be out late at night and early in the morning. That would explain his presence in Liverpool, but not necessarily at Anfield Stadium.
“It may be that his presence in Liverpool city centre was merely his movement towards Anfield Stadium. He would have, after this offending, gone to work and delivered newspapers.”
Mr Woods added: “This is an unusual case, because the defendant is a man of good character and a man with pro-social attitudes. He is a man who has cared for his family for many years.”
Mr Woods said that when the victim became upset, the defendant “changed his attitude” and showed “remorseful behaviour”. “He made no further demands of her, then, rather than simply abandoning her, he drove her back to the place she wanted to go to in the city centre,” he said.
Watson admitted kidnap and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. Appearing via video-link from HMP Liverpool, he held his head in his hands throughout the hearing.
‘Women on a night out in Liverpool have every right to feel safe’
Sentencing, Recorder Anna Pope KC said: “I am satisfied that, on that night, you were out on your own, looking to find a lone female against whom to commit a sexual offence. You prepared for your offending by setting up your mobile phone, so that the camera was facing the back seat. This demonstrates to me a significant degree of pre-planning in your offending.”
She continued: “It is clear to me that your victim was terrified. Your victim showed incredible courage and fortitude. She can only be commended for the way in which she dealt with a frightening situation.
“She thought, that night, that you were going to rape her. The doors were locked. She was trapped in a vehicle with you. I take the view that this was deliberate targeting of a particularly vulnerable victim. She was terrified. At times, she was struggling to breathe.”
Ms Pope added: “Women on a night out in Liverpool have every right to feel safe. Anyone who seeks out lone women then goes on to commit serious offences can expect significant punishment. You knew what you were going do before she got into the van.”
Watson was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will be required to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.
