Eastie Uber Driver Convicted of Assault

An East Boston man who drove for a ride-share service was convicted of assaulting a female passenger in his vehicle, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Abderrahim Dakiri, 31, of East Boston waived his right to a jury trial in the 2015 incident for which he was charged with indecent assault and battery. After a bench trial Friday, Boston Municipal Court Judge Michael Coyne found him guilty of the lesser included offense of assault and battery and sentenced him to two years of probation. Coyne ordered Dakiri to stay away from the victim, her workplace, and the campuses of her Boston-area university. If he fails to comply with that order, or if he re-offends, he could be sentenced to up to two and a half years in a house of correction.

Assistant District Attorney Alexa Wright introduced evidence and testimony during the one-day trial that Boston Police responded to a radio call for a sexual assault on Endicott Street just before 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 8, 2015. The victim, a 21-year-old woman, was found visibly distressed outside of the address by a witness.

The evidence established that she had used Uber to request a car for herself and her friends up after a night out together. Dakiri was their driver. The evidence showed that he dropped the victim’s friends off on Tremont Street and took a circuitous route to the victim’s destination of Endicott Street. The evidence proved that he placed his hands on her against her wishes and despite her protests. When the car reached a location near Endicott Street, she fled and sought help from a Good Samaritan, who called 911.

Boston Police Sexual Assault Unit detectives interviewed the victim, retrieved data from her phone, and obtained additional information from Uber. Based on the state of the evidence, Boston Police arrested Dakiri that same afternoon.

“Suffolk prosecutors and Boston Police are part of an extensive support network for sexual assault victims,” Conley said. “No matter who you are, you can feel safe coming to us for help and services.”

Sexual assault can happen to anyone. While victims of any crime are asked to call 911 in an emergency, the survivors of sexual violence in Suffolk County can also call the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center’s 24-hour hotline at 800-841-8371 The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center provides medical advocacy, legal services, counseling, and other services to victims of rape and sexual assault.

Sherada Norvin was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate.

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