Drunk student, 22, was raped by a taxi driver after officers allowed her to walk away from a police station on her own

• Naleem Nasleem jailed for 10 years for raping the unconscious student in 2016  
• The student had been dropped at police station by a first taxi driver and then left 
• Nasleem, 48, found her slumped on a road in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire
• He drove her to a quiet area not covered by CCTV and raped her on the back seat
• A police report into a complaint found that no one in the Cleveland force was to blame for what happened

A drunken student was raped by a taxi driver who found her unconscious by the road after she was allowed to walk home alone from a police station.

The 22-year-old victim had been taken to the station by a different taxi driver who told cops the girl appeared to have passed out in the back seat.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigated after a complaint that the girl was allowed to leave.

Father-of-three Naleem Nasleem, 48, was jailed for 10 years for raping the student in 2016 when he found her slumped on the side of the road in Middlesbrough. The victim had been taken to the police station by a first cab driver after she passed out in the back of the car

A probe has established the first cabbie could not get the woman's address from her when he picked her up.

He took her to the Bridge Street West station in Middlesbrough as she appeared to him to be asleep or unconscious on the back seat.

The taxi driver asked two officers for help. 

She was taken inside and front counter staff were told that she needed a taxi, IOPC investigators found.

'The woman went into the police station, spoke briefly to a member of front counter staff and then walked away from the police station towards Middlesbrough town centre,' an IOPC statement said.

'The two officers drove past her as she walked to the taxi rank.

'Later that night, the woman was raped by another taxi driver, who was later convicted of the offence.'

A second cabbie called Naleem Nasleem was jailed for ten years in 2016 for raping the student he found slumped at the side of the road in Middlesbrough town centre.

He drove her to a quiet area not covered by CCTV and then raped her on the back seat.

Teesside Crown Court heard that the 'extremely drunk' victim was then driven home and staggered out of the car bare-foot.

The woman awoke hours later and had no idea what had happened but had a strange memory of an Asian man leaning over her in the back of a taxi.

She went to police who confirmed that she had been raped. 

Nasleem, a 48-year-old father-of-three, was found guilty of two counts of rape despite claiming that the sex had been consensual.

The report into the complaint found that no one in the Cleveland force was to blame for what happened but recommended training be beefed up.

Officers on the night found she was not 'drunk or incapable' and 'The officers did not consider the woman to be vulnerable'.

'Even if officers had considered the woman to be vulnerable, they still would not have had any lawful power to detain her, or any statutory duty to obtain medical attention for her,' the report continued.

'The investigation found no indication that any person serving with the police may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary or criminal proceedings.'

But the probe found gaps in the officers training, as they had not attended a non-mandatory course in 'vulnerability and night time economy'.

Cleveland Police said they agreed with the IOPC's findings that there was no case to answer but had stepped up training.

'Our detectives carried out an in-depth investigation in order to ensure that Naleem Nasleem was put behind bars for 10 years,' the force said.

'The woman had previously been brought to the front desk of the police station, where officers spoke to her and she left of her own accord.

'The woman then walked into the town and got into a licensed taxi.

'Neither the victim nor officers could have envisaged that a taxi driver would rape her, or that she would be raped.

'It is the fault of rapists that these crimes happen, and we will continue to provide support to victims to help them move on with their lives and bring those responsible to justice.

'There were no matters of conduct in relation to police officers or staff. However, the force recognised that training in vulnerability and risk needed to be rolled out more widely across the force.

'As a result, 'vulnerability and night time economy training' was incorporated into the wider overall learning and development programme for officers and staff.

'This training helps police provide the best possible service to our communities and keep people safe.'