Thread: Stockport woman Laura Hood jailed for fake taxi rape claim

"A woman who falsely accused a taxi driver of raping her showed a "blatant disregard" for him and the reputation of the justice system, a judge said.

Laura Hood, 27, claimed Haroon Yousaf, 29, attacked her in the back of his cab after a night out in January 2017. The driver, Haroon Yousaf, was detained for 20 hours and was asked to strip naked and give “intimate samples” to corroborate her story.
But Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard the taxi's tracker device proved she had lied about the attack.

She denied perverting the course of justice but was convicted and jailed for three years.

At sentencing, judge Julie Warburton said: "What you did strikes at the very heart of criminal justice. It has a tendency to damage the public perception of justice and can impact on the administration of justice in rape cases generally."

Hood, of Onslow Road, Stockport, told the court she was innocent because she had not knowingly lied, and instead had a false belief of "something so clear in my head".

Judge Warburton said Mr Yousaf was arrested and put in handcuffs in front of fellow taxi drivers, interviewed by police and required to provide intimate samples, which he found "harrowing".

A second man was also arrested over the allegations . . . "

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...

If i was the cab driver, i would sue for difamation. Get some payback afther been wrongly jailed and lost of job.

Does it mention in the article if he had compensation? If he managed to get his job back?

Real world consequences. I'm amazed and impressed.

I'm not familiar with the UK Justice System. What's the chance that she'll get out on an appeal, or only serve a fraction of the time?

Originally Posted by KanedaPills666

If i was the cab driver, i would sue for difamation. Get some payback afther been wrongly jailed and lost of job.

Does it mention in the article if he had compensation? If he managed to get his job back?

Saved by a GPS, let's hear it for technology.

While fouling this woman's life up a little would be nice, it's not going to happen. No lawyer would touch this case, what's there to collect from someone who has nothing? The story doesn't say she's poor, but chances are she is.

The story didn't say what happened to Mr. Yousaf after him being cleared. Kind of low on facts, aren't they? If a man were the bad guy, I bet we'd get the whole story.

Other details here:

June 19, 2019 - Manchester taxi tracker 'proves rape accuser lied'

June 21, 2019 - False rape claim woman tells jury: 'It was all in my mind'

June 26, 2019 - Stockport woman guilty of making false rape allegation

The taxi driver, a married man, had to masturbate in front of somebody:

Mr Yousaf said he had "tears in my eyes" when he had to take his clothes off in front of a stranger and provide the sample.

She tried to claim she did not lie, claiming lack of responsibility for her own thoughts!

She got three years in jail.

Originally Posted by Unboxxed

The taxi driver, a married man, had to masturbate in front of somebody:

It's shit like that which makes me realize why the colonials told the crown to go fuck itself! The only way you're getting a sample out of me (instead of a punch in the face) is to hire a professional!!!

I don't think anyone is surprised. The driver is lucky he was only detained for 20 hours. Other men have lost their lives.

Originally Posted by CPRA

"What you did strikes at the very heart of criminal justice. …

Good to see that judges are getting sick and tired of this shit.

This is why I avoid women. They treat false rape like it's some kind of game, to where the innocent guy loses everything, including his freedom. Ever since METOO, women are now trouble everywhere they go! It's gotten so bad that someone needs to put a stop to it!

Let me add another thought to this thread. Again, I'm using the USA as a frame of reference, ignorant of how the legal system works in the UK.

In a way, Yousaf was fortunate that Hood tried to get him convicted for a felony. If she had just wanted to screw up his life, she could have simply accused him of making inappropriate, sexual comments towards her. Because she claimed rape, the police were obligated to collect physical evidence which, since the crime had never happened, didn't exist. Not only that, the courts would have had to prove that he did it. This is still horrible for him, but because Hood swung for the fence, so to speak, nothing wound up sticking to him.

Now, what would have happened if she had simply called up his boss and made a post to social media that he had groped her and/or had made inappropriate sexual comments? No proof would have been needed; the mere accusation would have probably been enough to get him fired and maybe even charged with a misdemeanor sexual offense, which would make it hard for him to get another job.

This is what both scares the hell out of me and infuriates me about the current situation...just the accusation, with no proof, is enough to inflict serious and real-world consequences on men. While I think that anyone (primarily women) who make these false accusations are scum my vitriol is reserved for the courts who will gladly say "this isn't a criminal offense, so irrefutable proof isn't necessary", or employers who will fire someone over just an accusation.

So yes, Yousaf went through a horrible experience. However, had she accused him of a lesser act, one in which evidence and irrefutable proof wasn't required, it could have gone worse for him.

Taxi drivers will need a "black box" recording device like airplanes. A running tape recording of the entire shift.