Bus driver Kalash Vijay found guilty of Hayes rape, England

Bus driver guilty of Hayes rape

A bus driver from Hayes has been found guilty of two counts rape at Isleworth Crown Court.

Kalash Vijay, aged 42, from Evergreen Way was convicted on Thursday 9 December, following an investigation by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Sapphire unit.

The victim, a 24-year-old woman, had been out with friends in Acton on the evening of Sunday 7 February, before boarding the N207 night bus at 02.44hs. The woman, who had been drinking, sat on the top deck of the bus and fell asleep.

CCTV images show the driver of the bus, Vijay, went upstairs at 03.16 and brought the victim downstairs. He then turned off the lights and showed the bus as out of service.

A little later Vijay stopped the bus in Dawly Street, Hayes, and dropped the victim off on the street before parking the bus at Hayes bus station, returning in his car and picking up his victim.

The suspect then took the woman back to his house, where he raped her, before dropping her back off at a station the following morning.

The victim contacted police on Tuesday 8 February to report she had been raped.

Detective Constable Anna Hukowski, of Sapphire, said: "Vijay told the court a string of lines, claiming the victim was his girlfriend. I am grateful the jury saw through those lies. Vijay took advantage of a young woman in a vulnerable condition. She has shown incredible strength of character in reporting this incident and we have used our expertise to ensure that Vijay was identified and brought to justice."

Sentencing has been set for 25 January 2011 at Isleworth Crown Court.