Exclusive:"Opportunistic" South Yorkshire mechanic picked up drunk young woman in car and drove her to woods for sex attack
A judge told Taylor he was “certain” the defendant had driven around for a sustained period of time “looking for somewhere to take advantage” of the young girl
A South Yorkshire mechanic picked up a drunk young woman in his cars and drove her to remote woodland where he sexually assaulted her.
Nathan Taylor’s victim - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - had just turned 18 when she was locked out of her home after a night out in Doncaster and found herself a “passenger” in his car in the early hours of September 12, 2021.
Sheffield Crown Court heard that during the attack the girl had tried to escape, however HGV technician Taylor, 35, followed her, pushed her down and continued the attack, which lasted for 15-20 minutes.
After a trial Taylor was acquitted of rape but convicted of sexual assault.
In a statement read out to court the victim said: “This has ruined my life. I will never forgive or forget what’s happened to me.”
Jailing Taylor on Wednesday (August 12) a judge told him: “There’s no doubt you lied repeatedly to the police and in court about what happened but the jury saw through your lies and rejected your account.”
Nicola Quinney, prosecuting, described how on September 12 the girl was dropped off at home on her way back from Doncaster city centre, however the drunk teen was unable to get in as the door was locked.
Ms Quinney said: “She was unable to unlock the door but is clear shortly afterwards that (the victim) was a passenger in a car being driven by Mr Taylor. He took her to a secluded wooded area and seriously assaulted her.
“She remembers driving and was carried into woods and sexually assaulted and was later able to take police to that area. This was a sustained incident - he caused bruising to her hips and she tried to get away but was followed. The assault lasted 15 to 20 minutes.”
The court heard the young woman was later found “crying loudly and screaming” with no shoes and clearly still intoxicated by a woman walking to work and police were contacted.
In a statement read out to the court, the victim said: “I’ve tried to put it to the back of my mind. I didn’t feel safe leaving the house and had nightmares, waking up crying and screaming. I tried to take my own life. I couldn’t watch programmes with sex scenes as they made me feel sick.
“It will always make me scared of men. It’s hard to put into words how its affected me. I’m still looking over my shoulder. I had to be picked up and taken to work. I developed an eating disorder and when the trial started I had to sleep with my mum so I felt safe. My life will never be the same again.”
Recorder Mark Cooper told Taylor he was “certain” the defendant had driven around for a sustained period of time “looking for somewhere to take advantage” of the young girl.
He said: “There’s no doubt you lied repeatedly to the police and in court about what happened but the jury saw through your lies and rejected your account.
“They accepted what (the victim) said. It surprises me that you continued to protest your innocence. The evidence was overwhelming and your lies were exposed. The reality is you opportunistically took advantage of the situation.
“The ordeal in the woods lasted 15-20 minutes. You abducted her and took her to a secluded location and sexually assaulted her. There was specific targeting of a vulnerable victim in a secluded area in the early hours of the morning. I am sure that’s why you drove around for two hours - to ensure you were not detected.”
Becky Jane, defending, described her client as a “hardworking” man with a Masters degree as an HGV technician and a “valued employee”. He had now lost his partner of 10 years since the past offending had been revealed.
Taylor, of Cecil Avenue, Warmsworth, was jailed for three-and-a-half years.