A dangerous predator who posed as a taxi driver kidnapped a drunk lone young woman in his car has been jailed for seven years.
Days before Christmas on December 20, 2025, the woman in her 20s had been enjoying a night out with friends in the Groat Market area of Newcastle city centre.
In the early hours of the morning at around 2.20am, she decided to book a taxi to head home but soon became separated from her friend when leaving the venue.
While looking for her driver outside, the woman was approached by a man more than twice her age that she did not know, who spoke to her before picking her up from the floor and putting his arm around her.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that the man – now known to be Kuldip Chahal – was looking for a vulnerable victim to prey on, and guided the woman through crowded streets for around 10 minutes towards his white Volkswagen Golf.
The woman, who was alone at the time and intoxicated, was dragged and forced by the offender into his front passenger seat after being told he was taking her home.
But Chahal was unaware he was already being observed as part of Operation Salus, which sees plain clothes and uniformed police officers on duty to identify vulnerability in the night-time economy.
They intervened and prevented him from driving away and the woman was immediately safeguarded after it was found she did not know Chahal.
Kuldip Chahal was not a licensed taxi driver and had approached a number of other women in the city centre before targeting the victim-survivor
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NORTHUMBRIA POLICE
It was found that Chahal was not a licensed taxi driver and had approached a number of other women in the city centre before targeting the victim-survivor.
The now 51-year-old, of Plessey Road, Blyth, denied a charge of kidnap but was convicted by a jury.
He was found guilty following a one-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court in May and remanded into custody.
Today he appeared before the same court where a judge handed him a seven-year prison term.
The incident occurred in Newcastle city centre
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GETTY
He will also serve an extended licence period of three years and was made subject to a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
It bans him “being in the company of intoxicated females” unless they are family members, or he has made them aware of the order.
He is also prohibited from having lone females in his car, unless they are family members or know about the order.
During the hearing, an impact statement was shared from the woman Chahal targeted, who said her “confidence, independence and sense of safety” had been significantly affected.
She said: “Before this happened, I was a confident and sociable young woman who enjoyed spending time with my friends.
“I never imagined that something so frightening could happen to me whilst simply spending time with friends. What happened that night has changed me.”
She added: “Since that night, I have struggled to feel safe in situations that I previously would not have thought twice about.
“The thing I struggle with most is knowing that I was vulnerable and that somebody chose to take advantage of that vulnerability. I was a young woman trying to get home after a night out with friends.
“Instead, I became the target of a man more than twice my age who saw my vulnerability and chose to exploit it. I was not seen as a person. I was seen as an opportunity. That is something I find incredibly difficult to come to terms with.”
The victim-survivor also spoke of her pain after missing milestones and celebrations with loved ones, as well as being unable to attend a close friend’s funeral during the criminal proceedings and instead being “forced to relive one of the worst experiences” of her life.
The woman, who suffers with anxiety and stress in the aftermath, said: “What hurts most is that I no longer feel like the same person I was before this happened.
“I feel angry that somebody else’s choices have changed so much for me. I feel angry that I lost confidence in myself.
“I feel angry that I missed important moments with my friends because of the anxiety this has caused me.
“I feel angry that I now think twice about doing things that used to make me happy.”
Detective Constable Courtney Cran, who led the investigation in Newcastle’s CID, commended the victim-survivor for showing immense bravery, resilience, and composure throughout the full investigation.
“Chahal is a predatory individual who deliberately targeted a lone, vulnerable young woman who was simply trying to get home safely after a night out with friends,” she said.
“He showed absolutely no regard for her welfare or the devastating impact his actions would have, repeatedly denying any wrongdoing and forcing her to relive her trauma during the trial.
“Working alongside neighbourhood policing colleagues and key partners, I was quickly able to unravel Chahal’s web of lies and present clear evidence of his intentions that evening.”
Operation Salus exists to identify vulnerability, with officers on hand to intervene in any situations which appeared concerning or unsafe in Newcastle city centre.
Thanks to the vigilance of officers that evening, who saw something was not quite right, they were quickly able to intervene and bring Chahal to a stop.
Detective Constable Cran added: “The woman was safeguarded within minutes, after it became clear she had no idea who this man was and had been tricked and forced into his vehicle.
“This has been a terrifying ordeal for her, and while incidents of this nature remain rare, this case demonstrates exactly why proactive operations such as Operation Salus are so important. We regularly deploy tactics to identify anyone who is vulnerable, especially after a night out.
“While no result will ever take away the sheer impact of Chahal’s offending, I hope today’s outcome provides the victim-survivor with some sense of justice and allows her to begin moving forward now that he is set to spend a lengthy spell behind bars.
“As a Force, we’ll continue to take a proactive approach to keep people safe in our cities and towns, working together with partner agencies to crack down on suspicious activity such as fake and unlicensed taxi drivers.”