Taxi driver, 36, who raped tourist, 22, after night out on family holiday in Tenerife is jailed for six years

NewsWorld News A TAXI driver has been jailed for raping a tourist after a night out in the south of Tenerife. The woman, 22, was on a family holiday in Spain when the assault occurred. The victim was leaving Playa de Las Americas when she was sexually assaulted The young woman was in Tenerife to visit her parents Credit: John Lamb She left a nightclub in Veronicas, Playa de Las Americas at around 3am and had intended to take a taxi home. According to evidence from the trial, the driver instead drove her to an isolated area where he raped her. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The woman said she did not physically resist because she was terrified of the threats and intimidation she experienced. During the trial, the woman and her parents told the court how she has “not been the same person” since the sexual assault as the experience has had a “profound effect” on her life. She subsequently lost both her home and her job inGermany following the sexual assault in September 2022. The Provincial Court of Santa Cruz sentenced the taxi driver to six years in jail and ordered him to pay the victim £ 17,000 in compensation. He is also banned from approaching or communicating with the victim for ten years and, after completing his sentence, will be subject to five years of supervised release. Prosecutors originally requested a 10-year prison sentence and £21,000 in compensation. Most read in The Sun However, the defence called for him to be acquitted, highlighting differences between the victim’s two accounts of events. The victim explained that the traumatic experience caused her to lose her sense of time, leaving her with gaps in her memory. The court did not consider these differences sufficient to undermine her testimony and convicted the driver. Comment now