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The vile act Manbubur Rahman, 50, from Chadderton committed on a night in October 2006 was finally exposed
A former taxi driver was found guilty of raping an intoxicated student in his cab almost two decades ago.
Mahbubur Rahman was arrested on suspicion of burglary in 2022. Before this, the 50-year-old from Jane Street, Chadderton, had not been known to police.
While in custody, as part of standard procedure, a mouth swab was taken to obtain his DNA and ran through the policing database. Rahman’s sample was found to a precise match to DNA samples recovered at the time of an unsolved rape case.
Nearly 20-years ago, the then 31-year-old Rahman was working as a taxi driver in the Loughborough area of Leicestershire.
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In the early hours of Saturday 7 October 2006, Rahman had picked up the victim, who was a student at Loughborough University, after encountering her in the street shortly after 2.15am.
After stopping at an ATM in Greenclose Lane, the defendant is believed to have driven the victim to George Deacon Court car park in Chestnut Street before raping her in the back of his car.
Following the incident, the victim was able to make her way home and police were called. An investigation was launched and the victim’s underwear was found at this location.
Leicestershire Police said extensive enquiries at the time of the attack took place – including reviewing hours of CCTV and attempting to identify the driver through local taxi firms.
Vital DNA evidence was also recovered but did not match the profile of anyone on the police database at the time or to anyone who was interviewed as part of the investigation.
Eventually, after all avenues were exhausted, the case was filed in 2009 – subject to any new information or evidence coming to light.
It was following Rahman’s arrest in April 2022 that detectives got an exact DNA match for the 2006 offence.
After being arrested, Rahman initially tried to deny anything had happened before later claiming they had engaged in consensual sex. He was charged with rape in January 2023.
Following a trial at Leicester Crown Court, Rahman was found guilty of rape on September 3, 2025. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison on October 29.
Detective Constable Kristina Page-Brown, who had been working as the officer in the case since the DNA match was identified, said: “The victim has waited 19 years to get some sort of resolution and justice for the traumatic ordeal she was subjected to that night. Knowing the man responsible for this horrendous crime was still out there and living his life is something I know has been extremely difficult for her all these years.
“Since the discovery three years ago, we have been thoroughly reviewing the crime file complied at the time of the incident, as well as building up a picture of the defendant to establish where he was living and working in 2006.
“At the time of the original investigation the victim had been intoxicated but was able to tell police she had got into a taxi which had stopped for her to withdraw money from a cash machine. Her next recollection was of the sexual assault taking place and then arriving home when the incident was immediately reported to police.”
DC Page-Brown added: “The victim trusted Rahman to take her home after a night out in Loughborough. Instead, he abused that trust and took advantage of a vulnerable woman in the worst way imaginable. He has evaded justice for far too long and throughout has shown no remorse or regret for what he did. I am pleased he has now been made to answer for the crime but also relieved for the victim that the man who caused irreversible damage to her life now faces years behind bars.”
Detective Inspector Mike Chandler, Senior Investigating Officer, said: “Bringing offenders to justice – no matter how long ago a crime may have been committed – is a critical part of our duty.
“Unsolved cases will always be reinvestigated should new evidence or information come to light. In this case the crime was filed in 2009, but when the DNA match was identified the case was reopened and detectives set to work to review the original material from the case, as well as carrying out new enquiries to build a case against the perpetrator.
“This work was vital in strengthening the already compelling case and has helped to secure today’s conviction at court.
“We would encourage anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence to speak to us. We have a dedicated team of detectives who will listen to you and support you throughout any investigation.”
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