Taxi driver from Oxted jailed for sexual abuse of vulnerable customer
Lance Melville Percival was sentenced for multiple offences including rape and sexual assault
A 64-year-old taxi driver from Oxted has been jailed for 12 and a half years after pleading guilty to a series of sexual offences against a vulnerable woman over a five-year period.
Lance Melville Percival, who worked as a self-employed taxi driver licensed by Tandridge District Council, targeted the woman during trips to her support services and voluntary work.
Appearing at Guildford Crown Court on 10th November, Percival pleaded guilty to four counts of rape, eight counts of sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder impairing choice, two counts of sexual assault, and two counts of assault by penetration.
Evidence discovered in hidden SD card
An investigation began after Surrey Police found an SD card hidden in Percival’s wallet. The card contained 16 videos spanning 13 separate dates between 2021 and 2024, showing the offences. In several of the recordings, the survivor can be heard asking him to stop the abuse.
The survivor had not reported the offences and was believed to have little understanding or comprehension of what she had endured.
Investigators concluded that due to her vulnerability and the grooming she experienced, it was unlikely she would have told anyone about the abuse.
Police and council action
The allegations prompted Surrey Police to notify Tandridge District Council.
Percival’s Hackney Carriage license was subsequently revoked.
Detective Constable Marc Taylor from Surrey Police’s Sexual Offences Investigation Team led the case. He said: “Percival is a sexual predator who abused his position as her driver and took advantage of the victim’s vulnerability.
“The level and nature of the abuse was hugely shocking and I would like to thank all of my colleagues that assisted in the investigation.
“It is clear that Percival knew what he was doing and I am glad that his depraved actions finally came to light.
“Thanks to the work of the Sexual Offences Investigation Team and the bravery of those involved in the investigation, we were able to secure sufficient evidence to leave Percival no choice but to plead guilty to his crimes, meaning the survivor and her family were spared the trauma of going through the process of a trial."
Percival has also been issued with a restraining order to prevent him from contacting his victim and her immediate relatives, as well as a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.