A 30-year-old man from Ipswich has been jailed after sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman who entered his car in the belief it was a taxi.

Gahwar Muhammed, of Woodcock Road, carried out the attack at about 1am on July 5 last year in a layby alongside the A14.

The victim had entered his car in Ipswich town centre believing it to be a taxi and then fell asleep as she was driven home towards Felixstowe. She was woken by Muhammed assaulting her and then managed to get out, running across the road to escape him, before reporting the attack to police.

A suspect vehicle was identified on CCTV in Ipswich town centre and Muhammed was arrested at about 6pm the same day.

At Ipswich Crown Court yesterday, Muhammed was imprisoned for three years, after being found guilty following an eight day trial.

Pc Liz Smy, of the Ipswich Gemini Team, and the lead investigator in the case, said: “Muhammed was an opportunist predator, who allowed a young woman on a night out to get into his car mistakenly believing him to be a taxi driver, and then assaulted her whilst she was unable to defend herself.

“The victim’s bravery in reporting the attack to police quickly, and the subsequent excellent work by specialist detectives, helped us to identify Muhammed as a suspect and secure his arrest later that same day.

“I am pleased with the sentence handed down by the court today and hope that it offers some comfort to the victim.”