A man has been jailed for nine years for a sexual assault on a girl in Oldham
Tayumur Raja aged 29 of Abbeyhills Road, Oldham, was handed nine years in jail after he was found guilty of sexual assault by digital penetration.
His victim aged 17 at the time, called a taxi after leaving a nightclub in Oldham town centre
She got out a short while later and walked to the bottom of Yorkshire Street as she did not have cash and could only pay using her mobile device.
Raja pulled up beside her pretending to be a taxi driver and she got in. He then pulled into a nearby carpark and sexually assaulted her.
The victim managed to get free from Raja and ran from the vehicle to the safety of a nearby supermarket where staff helped her.
In a statement read in court, the victim said in part: “Before September 2021, I was a normal 17-year-old girl. I was going to college, working, learning to drive, and spending time with my friends. I was excited about my future and had plans to become a nurse. I was starting to gain independence and figure out who I was as a person. Life felt normal, safe, and full of possibilities.
“Before that night, I always believed things like this happened to other people; not to someone like me. But that night, he turned me into someone that bad things happen to, and everything I thought I knew about safety changed.
“After what had been a normal night out with friends, I got into what I believed was a taxi because I just wanted to go home. I had no idea that my life was about to change completely, through no fault of my own.
“The fear I felt in that moment is something I cannot fully put into words. It was a fear I had never experienced before, a real fear for my life. He stole my safety from me. That fear didn’t end that night. It stayed with me for almost five years while I waited for something to be done and for justice to finally happen.”
She continued:“Over time, I became more and more isolated. Relationships with people close to me broke down because I struggled to trust anyone. Eventually, I left home and moved into a hostel because I felt disconnected from everything and everyone.
“The anger, pain, and confusion I felt took over my life. I pushed people away because it felt easier than trying to explain how broken I felt inside. I tried to get mental health support several times, but nothing seemed to help at the time, and I felt completely stuck, like there was no end to what I was going through.”
Throughout the investigation Raja showed no remorse for his actions and continually denied the offence.
At one point during his interview, he laughed when it was explained to him that the allegation was a serious one and that there was a need to ask him questions about it. He declined to comment and claimed the victim had given consent.
