A sex predator who posed as a minicab driver to carry out a sexual assault in Waterloo has been jailed.
Atila Ardic, 25, had confessed to two sexual assaults on women – one in Waterloo and one in Islington – in July.
Yesterday Ardic, of Brownswood Road, Hackney, was jailed for 30 months at Wood Green Crown Court for the sickening crimes.
On December 7, Ardic fraudulently rented a car, despite being banned from driving.
The next day, he drove around Islington in the early hours looking for drunk, vulnerable women to sexually assault, the court heard.
He picked up a woman in her early thirties on Upper Street by telling her he was her private hire driver.
The woman got into the back and fell asleep, waking up in a “secluded area” of Waterloo.
Ardic began sexually touching her under her clothing, before she fought him off and got out of the car, leaving her purse behind.
The day after, he drove the car around Stoke Newington, where he picked up a woman in her twenties who thought he was her cab driver.
The second victim also fell asleep. Ardic pulled up in a secluded road in Islington, and again sexually assaulted her. She pushed and kicked him off and managed to escape.
The two victims reported the sexual assaults, but couldn’t provide specific details of the car or driver.
Ardic had rented the car on fake details from a company in France. Police analysed the information used to rent the vehicle and also found that he had used a bank card left inside the car by the first victim.
He was identified and arrested in January 2018, and gave a no comment interview. After months of work, a suite of evidence against Ardic – including forensics, CCTV footage and GPS data – cops brought a case against Ardic.
Charges for two sexual assaults, fraud and theft were authorised by the Crown Prosecution in September last year. A charge for disqualified driving had been authorised beforehand.
“Today’s sentencing reflects the seriousness of Ardic’s offending,” said PC Jonny Harris.
“There were a number of aggravating factors considered in this sentencing, despite Ardic’s guilty plea.
“The most prominent being the abuse of trust and the planning of these horrible assaults.
“This conviction would not have been possible without these young women coming forward to the police.
“Both showed great courage and a great deal of patience throughout a lengthy investigation.”
Alongside the jail sentence, Ardic was prohibited from applying to be a licensed private hire driver or taxi driver with any authority within England and Wales and acting as a licensed private hire or taxi driver within England and Wales.
He has also been registered on the Sex Offenders Register for five years upon his release.