Taxi driver sent to 75 months imprisonment for raping passengers

The Helsinki District Court on Friday sentenced a taxi driver to six years and three months imprisonment for various charges including abusing female passengers sexually.

The court awarded the punishment to the 43-year-old taxi driver as a total of 18 different allegations, mostly related to raping four female passengers, brought against him were proved beyond doubt, local media reported.

According to the verdict, the convict picked up unaccompanied women into his taxi from Helsinki area and provided them with alcohol and drugs while pretending to bring them to their intended destinations, reported national broadcaster Yle.

He took the passengers to an apartment outside Helsinki and raped the women. Some of the sexual offences also took place inside the taxi, said the report, adding that One of the victims was only 16 years old.

The man was convicted on charges of rape, aggravated rape and coercion into sexual activity, as well as other offences including deprivation of liberty, illicit observation, distribution of sexually obscene images, drug offences, and violation of an order banning the use of a psychoactive substance, reported Yle.

The convict, however, denied most of the charges brought against him.