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Friday, 26 August 2011

Lesbian 'raped by rickshaw driver' as she made her way home after night in gay club

A lesbian doctor was raped by a rickshaw driver after a night out in London, a court has heard.


The woman, in her 20s, was attacked after she was left alone with Turkish-born Murat Durmus, 23, during the early hours on February 5.


She had kept her sexuality a secret but was forced to come out to her family because of her ordeal, the Old Bailey was told.

Rickshaws of the type used in Central London
Rickshaws of the type used in Central London. The doctor alleges she was raped in a similar vehicle by rickshaw driver Murat Durmus

The doctor and her gay friend had been drinking at bars in Soho and unsuccessfully tried to find a black cab home.

They walked around the road closures near Tottenham Court Road and decided to catch a pedal rickshaw, which ply for trade in the West End, to their homes near Tower Bridge.


Her friend got out of the rickshaw on the way to her house and the woman doesn't remember what happened next.

The woman said: 'Things got a bit hazy. I honestly don't remember how it all started.

'My next memory is simply buzzing the buzzer and going into my flatmate's bedroom. I was hysterical and crying. Because of my orientation, I was outraged. I was angry.'

A passer-by noticed Durmus arguing with the doctor, telling her to get back inside the rickshaw.
She was telling him to leave her alone, the court heard.


When the passer-by intervened, the doctor grabbed his arm and said she wanted to go with him. But Durmus insisted he was owed money.


The Good Samaritan accompanied the pair to a cashpoint. He left when the doctor walked away and Durmus rode off.

Lisa Matthews, prosecuting, said: 'The CCTV shows the defendant picking her up and putting her into the rickshaw and then driving around.'

The jury were shown CCTV footage of Durmus as he cycled through the deserted streets sometimes doubling back on himself.

Ms Matthews added: 'Her next memory was being raped by him. That happened she thought in the rickshaw. 


'Because she had been drinking she remembers something of standing up and then lying down.
'She said she was crying and saying 'no' and he put his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming.'

After raping her, Durmus then cycled off leaving the woman to make her way home, the court was told.
Ms Matthews said: 'She was very distressed by what had happened and told her flatmate that she had been raped.

'She then also told her brother who was staying with her. Her family at that stage did not know that she was gay and she found it very difficult to tell them what had happened.'

The doctor was able to give police a description of her alleged attacker and his rickshaw and 13 days later he was tracked down and arrested.


The court heard Durmus' DNA was found inside his alleged victim.


Durmus, of Walthamstow, denies two counts of rape and claimed the sex was consensual.
He said he had cycled away but saw her 'standing in a dark corner'.

She approached him, took his hand and went back into the corner and kissed him.  


'They returned to the rickshaw and went to a garage area. He said she initiated the approach.'
The trial, expected to last two weeks, continues.

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