Fake Uber driver kidnapped lady for half-hour and demanded she ‘uncovered her breasts’

Damian Watson was said to have prowled Liverpool streets searching for vulnerable victims before parking up outside Anfield Stadium

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A father impersonated an Uber driver to abduct a woman from outside Anfield Stadium. Damian Watson was reported to have roamed the streets looking for susceptible victims before parking near Liverpool FC’s home ground.

There, an event-goer who had arranged a ride into Liverpool city centre got into his van, mistakenly thinking it was her taxi. The newspaper delivery man then locked the vehicle doors and demanded she reveal her breasts to him while holding her captive for nearly half an hour.

Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon (June 26), that the complainant had been at an event at Anfield before booking an Uber to take her to Concert Square, where she intended to join friends, shortly after 11.30pm. CCTV footage meanwhile depicted Watson driving around the city centre in his white van and then towards the stadium while “looking for a vulnerable female to target and to commit a sexual offence”.

Prosecutor Neil Bisarya described how the 36-year-old, of no fixed address but previously of Liscard, Wirral, subsequently parked close to the famous Shankly Gates. He added: “The crown’s case is that he was looking for a vulnerable lone female to target, pretending to be a taxi. That was why he was waiting there.”

This resulted in the woman entering Watson’s van, believing it to be her Uber. After asking her intended destination, he instead drove her to a “secluded alleyway” in the Bootle area, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Mr Bisarya recounted: “She looked out of the window and did not recognise where she was. In addition, she got a notification saying that her Uber had been cancelled. This alarmed her, as she believed she was in the Uber. She asked the defendant where she was. He replied, ‘you’re in Bootle now love’.”

The victim then requested again to be taken to the city centre, at which point Watson restarted his engine. However, instead of driving off, he turned towards her in the back seat and demanded she expose herself.

Upon this, the “panicked” woman tried to open her door but found it locked. Despite begging to be let out of the van, Watson repeated his demand “in an aggressive manner” four times before unbuckling his seatbelt and telling her to expose herself and then he would let her out.

With his “extremely scared” victim having “complied under duress”, fearing that he was going to rape her, he began to drive away before once again asking her to expose herself to him, assuring her that he “wouldn’t touch her” before stopping his van once more.

Mr Bisarya told the court: “Again, under fear and duress, she exposed her breasts to the defendant for a second time.

“The defendant was not satisfied with the view he had and asked her to move so that he could see her breasts better. It was only when she was in distress and hyperventilating that the defendant stopped any further demands.”

Watson eventually drove her into the city centre before permitting her to leave his vehicle at the junction of Berry Street and Seel Street. It was later discovered that he had recorded the incident by securing his mobile phone to the centre console.

Watson pleaded guilty to kidnap and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool wearing a black Montirex t-shirt, he buried his head in his hands throughout the hearing before being sentenced to five-and-a-half years behind bars.

In her sentencing remarks, Recorder Anna Pope KC stated: “I am satisfied that, on that night, you were out on your own, looking to find a lone female against whom to commit a sexual offence. You prepared for your offending by setting up your mobile phone, so that the camera was facing the back seat. This demonstrates to me a significant degree of pre-planning in your offending.

“You parked up and waited for your victim. She got into your van, believing you to be the Uber driver who had come to collect her. You went along with the fact you were Uber driver and started to drive her away.

“You then stopped your van on a street for a period of up to 15 minutes. She did not recognise where she was. She got a notification on her phone to tell her that her Uber had been cancelled. It was at that point that she felt extreme panic. She had, until that point, believed she was in the Uber.

“You had parked up in a secluded alleyway. She tried to open the door but could not get out because it was locked. She was begging to be let out. You refused, and she exposed her breasts to you through fear.

“You then drove off. You continued to ask her to expose her breasts. She asked to be let out and, again, through fear, exposed her breasts for a second time. She was hyperventilating. You stopped making any further demands and drove away.

“It is clear to me that your victim was terrified. Your victim showed incredible courage and fortitude. She can only be commended for the way in which she dealt with a frightening situation. She thought, that night, that you were going to rape her.

“The doors were locked. She was trapped in a vehicle with you. I take the view that this was deliberate targeting of a particularly vulnerable victim. She was terrified.

“At times, she was struggling to breathe. You demonstrated a significant degree of planning. You showed predatory behaviour that night and set up a camera for your own sexual pleasure.

“There is, quite clearly, another side to your character. I recognise that your imprisonment will have a real impact on your family and three children, particularly your six-year-old son, who has been diagnosed with autism.

“Women on a night out in Liverpool have every right to feel safe. Anyone who seeks out lone women then goes on to commit serious offences can expect significant punishment. You knew what you were going do before she got into the van.”

Watson was also issued an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will be obliged to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

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