Tom Little QC successfully prosecutes black cab driver for an historic rape offence

Irvine Watt, a black cab driver, was convicted on Thursday by a jury at the Stafford Crown Court of raping a 17 year old woman that he offered a free lift to at Telford Central Station in 1989. When the case was originally investigated it was not possible to obtain any DNA evidence from semen found in the complainant’s knickers. As a result the Prosecution offered no evidence against Irvine Watt in September 1989. However, following advances in DNA techniques semen with a DNA profile matching that of the Defendant was obtained from the complainant’s knickers.

In July 2017, Tom Little QC made a successful double jeopardy application to the Court of Appeal who quashed his earlier acquittal and ordered a re-trial. He stood trial last week and was convicted by the jury.