Sydney Uber driver sentenced to 9 years in prison for rape
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An Uber driver was sentenced on Tuesday to nine years in prison on a conviction of raping a drunken woman who fell asleep in the back of his ride-hailing car in Sydney.
Muhammad Naveed, 41, had pleaded not guilty in the New South Wales state District Court to raping the 22-year-old woman in October 2015.
The Pakistani citizen had picked the woman up from Sydney's Kings Cross nightclub district. He then pulled into a gas station, where he bought condoms.
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Naveed was accused of raping the woman in a side street, but he argued that the sex was consensual.
A jury convicted him of rape in February.
Judge Deborah Payne ordered Naveed to serve at least six years and four months in prison before he can be considered for parole.
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"He clearly took advantage, in the most terrible way, of a very vulnerable young lady," Payne said.
Uber banned the driver on learning of the woman's complaint.
"This is a terrible crime and we are grateful justice has been served. Our thoughts remain with the victim and her family," Uber said in a statement.