MAHDI FERHANE'S SHOCKING SEXUAL ASSAULT IN BOURNEMOUTH: COURT DECISION STANDS DESPITE OUTRAGE
In July 2023, a disturbing case unfolded in Bournemouth involving Mahdi Ferhane, a taxi driver who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl.Despite widespread concern and a request for a review, the prison sentence handed down to Ferhane remains unchanged.
The incident has sparked outrage, with legal officials and the public questioning the adequacy of the punishment.
Ferhane, a 38-year-old man and father of two, was sentenced to 28 months in prison by Judge William Mousley KC at Bournemouth Crown Court last month.
The court found him guilty of sexual assault after a trial that took place over April and May.
Notably, Ferhane was acquitted of attempted rape, a verdict that did little to quell the controversy surrounding his case.
Following the sentencing, there was a push to have the sentence reviewed.
A request was made to a government legal advisor to consider appealing the sentence, with some arguing that it was unduly lenient.
Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson expressed his shock and dismay over the case, describing it as “shocking and appalling.” However, after careful deliberation, the MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole decided against referring the case to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.
A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office clarified that such a referral requires the sentence to be not just lenient but excessively so, involving a gross error or a sentence outside the reasonable range for the offence.
They stated, “The threshold is a high one, and the test was not met in this case.” Details of the incident reveal that Ferhane exploited the vulnerability of a teenage girl he encountered in Bournemouth town centre.
The girl was sitting alone on a bench in Old Christchurch Road in the early hours of May 29 last year when Ferhane pulled up alongside her in his taxi.
After a brief conversation, she agreed to get into his vehicle, requesting to be taken home.
Instead, Ferhane drove her to a secluded clifftop car park and then to an address he owned on St Peter’s Road.
Once inside his flat, Ferhane’s actions became increasingly invasive.
He removed her dress, massaged her shoulder, and then pushed her face down onto a mattress, where he touched her with his penis.
The assault was carried out despite her protests and attempts to resist.
After the assault, Ferhane drove her back to her home and charged her £12 for the trip, acting as her taxi driver during the ordeal.
Further investigations revealed that Ferhane had a history of licensing issues.
His driver’s license was revoked by Bournemouth Borough Council in late 2017.
Despite this, he later applied for and was granted a private hire license by New Forest District Council in December 2021, which permitted him to operate as a pre-booked driver.
It was discovered that Ferhane failed to disclose his previous license revocation when applying for the new license, raising concerns about transparency and regulatory oversight.
As the case concludes with Ferhane’s current sentence intact, it continues to evoke debate about the adequacy of punishments for sexual offenses and the effectiveness of licensing regulations in protecting the public from individuals with problematic histories.
