Rapist loose in Capital for six days

A BOGUS taxi driver who raped a woman on her way home after a night out in Edinburgh has been on the loose for six days.

Police are appealing for witnesses to find the man, who attacked a 26-year-old after she got into what she thought was a private hire taxi in the West End at 2.15am on Sunday morning.

After picking her up outside the Hudson Hotel in Hope Street he took her to Brunstane Road South, where she is believed to have been assaulted inside the car before being dragged out of the vehicle and left in the street as her attacker sped off.

Police today defended their decision to wait six days before warning the public that the suspect was at large and appealing for witnesses.

A spokesman said that officers had to take their time when speaking to the woman following the attack. "The victim was understandably traumatised as a result of her ordeal and we had to take that into account before we made an approach to the public for information," he said.

DI Willie Guild, who is leading the investigation, said his team were determined to catch the attacker before he could strike again, and warned party-goers to be extra-vigilant when heading home after nights out

He said: "We're absolutely determined to get as much detail as we can so we can trace the man responsible for this. The victim has been traumatised by the incident and we've got officers working with her to try and tease out the full details. We've received and are looking at a vast quantity of city centre CCTV and that will take time to analyse."

Police are also to quiz taxi and private hire drivers who were in the area at the time, and are thought to be considering a return visit to the West End at the weekend to try to track down witnesses.

The vehicle was a four-door saloon car, and the suspect is described as being black, 5ft 8in tall, around 30 years old, with short black hair, and wearing a red T-shirt and jeans.

DI Guild said the rape had not yet been linked to any other incidents, but warned members of the public to be on the alert to ensure they didn't become the attacker's next victim. He said: "We don't want to be alarmist, it's a serious incident, but these incidents are rare in Edinburgh and certainly in the city centre in Edinburgh.

"Continue to enjoy yourself on nights out in Edinburgh, but think about how you're getting home. At the end of the night book a taxi, don't jump into a car without knowing who the driver is. Private hire cars shouldn't stop to pick people up in the street, and you should always check the ID of the driver."

Raymond Davidson, secretary of the Edinburgh Taxi Association, which represents licensed cab drivers, said: "Any lone women should go to taxi ranks that are marshalled in the city centre, where they know they'll be safe – there are security staff there and they will be put into a fully licensed Edinburgh taxi."

Marshalled ranks are situated at the Sheraton Hotel on Lothian Road, the Radisson Hotel on the High Street and the Omni Centre at the top of Leith Walk.