April 2014
Taxi driver Mohammed Ashraf admits raping girl, 14, in Edinburgh
An Edinburgh taxi driver took a 14-year-old girl to a flat in his cab before sexually assaulting her.
Mohammed Ashraf, 53, admitted assaulting and orally raping the girl on 16 November 2012 at the city flat.
The Crown accepted his not guilty plea to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by repeatedly phoning the girl and waiting outside her school.
His not guilty plea to threatening another female was also accepted.
Judge John Morris QC remanded Ashraf in custody and deferred sentence on him until June at the High Court in Glasgow.
Ashraf was put on the sex offenders’ register.
Ashraf had asked to take the teenager into Edinburgh and told her he wanted to buy her something.
The 14-year-old girl thought they were going shopping but Ashraf took her instead to a flat that was empty.
Ashraf began looking through his victim’s phone, asking her questions about photos and texts before he began molesting her.
Advocate depute David Taylor told the High Court in Edinburgh: “She told him to stop and tried to push his hands away but he was too strong.”
Mr Taylor said she told him that she wanted to leave and her family would be wondering where she was.
But Ashraf ignored her protests.
She was finally let go.
Police went to Ashraf’s home and were told that he was out working as a taxi driver. He was later detained and taken to a police station.
The court heard that Ashraf’s DNA was found on swabs taken from the girl and her DNA was present on swabs from him.
Defence counsel Frances McMenamin QC said a background report would be required on the first offender before sentencing him.
