Oldham man jailed for sexually assaulting teenage girl

A 29-year-old Oldham man has been jailed for nine years after sexually assaulting a teenage girl who mistakenly got into his car thinking it was her booked taxi. Tayumur Raja, of Abbey Hills Road, was found guilty of sexually assaulting the 17-year-old girl in September 2021 after she left a nightclub in Oldham town centre.

The victim had walked to the St Mary's Way junction with Yorkshire Street and got into a taxi, but got out when she realised she couldn't pay. After contacting another taxi using her mobile phone, Raja pulled up in a vehicle and the victim got in, believing it to be her booked taxi. Instead, he drove her to a car park on Park Road where he sexually assaulted her.

The victim managed to escape and ran to a nearby supermarket where staff helped her. Raja continually denied the offence throughout the investigation, even laughing when police explained the seriousness of the allegation during his interview. He claimed the victim had given consent, but a jury found him guilty at Bolton Crown Court on March 6.

In a powerful victim impact statement read to the court, the teenager described how the assault changed her life, making her feel isolated and disconnected from people. She said: 'Before that night, I always believed things like this happened to other people; not to someone like me.' Raja has been placed on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely.