Man posed as taxi driver to abuse women, court told

A driver allegedly posed as an "unofficial Uber" driver to pick up "vulnerable and intoxicated" women he could abuse, a court heard.

Graham Head, 68, had latex gloves, condoms, Viagra tablets and a balaclava in his silver Mercedes when he was arrested in November 2022.

Mr Head, of Pevensey in East Sussex, is accused of assaulting an 19-year-old woman he picked up near Hove Park and kidnapping, sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a 25-year-old woman after picking her up in Brighton city centre.

He denies the charges, saying that he offered the 25-year-old a lift home but did not touch her and never met his other alleged victim, jurors at Lewes Crown Court were told.

The court was told on Monday that Mr Head was a "sexual predator" who "slipped up" the night he was arrested by police.

In his home, business cards advertising him as a "N-Uber driver" were emblazoned with the slogan "Safe and Reliable - For All Occasions" underneath one of his phone numbers.

The two attacks allegedly took place in the early hours of 19 August and 18 November, 2022.

Paul Jarvis KC, prosecuting, said that in the first attack a 19-year-old woman was "intoxicated and vulnerable" when Mr Head sexually assaulted her in Hove Park.

In the second incident, Mr Head is said to have picked up the 25-year-old woman from Middle Street in Brighton after telling her he was an Uber driver who had just finished working and would give her a free ride.

Mr Jarvis added that Mr Head then tried to rape the woman in the back seat of his car after driving near to her home.

He was arrested the same night after the woman came to and kicked him away, memorised part of his number plate and reported the incident to police, Mr Jarvis told the court.

The 25-year-old woman has since died, the jury was told.

Mr Head had two mobile phones and was "savvy enough" to know that if he kept them on while he was driving, the network provider could record his movements so kept them in flight mode while he was searching for victims, the court heard.

The trial continues.

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