Deliveroo Rider
Salem Rekoub, an unverified Deliveroo rider, is sentenced to 21 years after raping a semi-conscious woman and looking for her in the hospital after following her ambulance (representative image) Unsplash - Joshua Lawrence

Delivery rider Salem Rekoub, 28, raped a semi-conscious woman after dragging her from a West London street, later followed her ambulance to hospital and searched the corridors for her, a court heard.

CCTV footage shown to jurors captured the assailant, wearing a Deliveroo uniform, walking through Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. However, Deliveroo said Rekoub was not a verified rider on its platform and had abused its systems to gain access.

The victim, who is in her 40s, had been travelling home after an evening with friends in July 2024 when she became unwell, got off a bus and collapsed near a stop in Chelsea. Prosecutors said Rekoub found her and dragged her down a side road, where he raped her repeatedly while she drifted in and out of consciousness.

Rekoub was jailed for 21 years after being convicted of three counts of rape and two counts of assault by penetration.

Rider Trailed the Ambulance to the Hospital

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Rekoub was captured on CCTV walking through the halls of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and looking into treatment rooms Wikimedia Commons - Shadowssettle

According to the prosecution, Rekoub later attempted to conceal what had happened by giving misleading information to emergency services. He reportedly told a paramedic that the woman had consumed too much alcohol and later gave police a false name, claiming he was a concerned passer-by.

The court heard that Rekoub followed the ambulance to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where CCTV showed him walking through corridors and looking into treatment areas. He was eventually confronted by a hospital worker and reportedly said he was there to find someone.

The victim later managed to tell paramedics what had happened. Rekoub was arrested nine days after the attack.

Prosecutor Patricia May told Isleworth Crown Court that the woman had passed out on the pavement before Rekoub approached her.

'She passed out on the pavement, and it was there when the defendant, a complete stranger, found her,' May said. The victim was left with 33 bruises across her body, according to evidence presented during the trial.

According to prosecutors, Rekoub had leaned his Deliveroo bike against a wall before dragging the woman away from the public and between two cars, where the offences were committed.

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Victim Describes Lasting Trauma

The victim told the court in a statement that the attack had left her living in a 'constant state of fear.'

She has suffered seizures and spent time in a mental health treatment centre since the assault, the court heard.'This has destroyed my life, and I am not the same person,' she said in her victim impact statement.

The court heard that the defence had caused the woman further distress, with the victim reportedly leaving the courtroom at one point. Rekoub's barrister said he had travelled to Britain from Algeria on a tourist visa after experiencing violence there.

Deliveroo Responds

The prosecution told the court there had been 'incomplete checks' over whether Rekoub should have been working in the UK. Deliveroo said Rekoub was not a verified rider on its platform and had abused its systems to gain access.

A spokesperson for the company said it was 'appalled' by the crimes and said measures had since been strengthened to control access to its platform. Rekoub was sentenced to 21 years in prison after the jury found him guilty of all five offences.

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