A GIRL of 15 was raped after getting into a car she thought was a taxi.

The victim's four-hour ordeal began when she got into a burgundy Ford Escort parked at a taxi rank in East Grinstead after a night out with friends.

She was taken on a 25-mile car ride to a terraced house which police believe was possibly in the Dulwich or Catford area of London, where she was raped.

The teenager was driven back to Crawley and she was left near a relative's home in Bewbush.

Police have only just released details of the incident, which happened on March 14, following extensive inquiries to trace the owner of the car.

Det Sgt Steve Tuffin said the Escort had been hired from a car rental firm in the Dulwich area. But the man who used it has not been found.

The teenager, who comes from East Grinstead, is now being comforted by family and friends.

DS Tuffin said: "She is being very brave considering what has happened to her and is getting a lot of support.

"We are carrying out a thorough inquiry and we are keen to find the man responsible as soon as possible before he strikes again.

"We are especially interested in hearing from anyone who was in town the night the incident happened who may have seen the man or the car in the area.

"This was a particularly horrible assault on an innocent girl who is now going to need counselling to help her get over her ordeal."

The victim had spent the night at an 18th birthday party at the Base nightclub in London Road.

She walked with a group of friends to Megabites, a fast-food cafe nearby at about 3am. She then got into the car and was driven off, eventually returning to Crawley at about 7am.

The attacker is described as black, in his mid twenties, about 6ft with short cropped hair.

He is believed to have two gold rings on his right hand and was wearing dark coloured jeans and a velvet jacket. During the course of the girl's ordeal he used the name Michael.

Anyone with information should contact DS Tuffin at Haywards Heath CID on 01444 451555 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

There have been other cases in Sussex where women have been the victims of sexual assaults from bogus taxi drivers.

In the early Nineties a 17-year-old girl was assaulted when she got into a car she thought was the taxi she had ordered from the Royal Albion hotel in Brighton.

On another occasion a 40-year-old mum was raped and punched in the face after getting into a car she thought was a taxi in Montpelier Road, Hove.

And in 1991 an 18-year-old girl from Burgess hill was assaulted when she called for a cab in Brighton to take her home.

The incidents led to the introduction of new legislation across the county in 1992 to help councils clamp down on rogue taxi drivers.

A spokesman for Mid Sussex Council said yesterday that stringent tests were taken before anyone was given a licence.

And he added that anyone using a cab should check the licence plate number and photograph before getting in as all licenced cab drivers are required to prominently display them by law.

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