Rebecca Dykes was killed while returning home from a night out drinking with friends in the Gemmayzeh district of Beirut, Lebanon. Tariq Houshieh, who worked for Uber, raped the 30-year-old before strangling her with a cord from his jumper and dumping her body on the side of the road. Ms Dykes had booked the ride using the Uber app, whose driver recognition and rating system was seen by many, especially women, as offering better safety guarantees than when traveling off-road. Houshieh later confessed to the “horse” attack, which took place in December 2017, and was sentenced to death in 2019. He is now appealing to have the sentence commuted, My London reported.
The driver had a criminal record
Houshieh was reportedly able to work as a taxi driver despite a criminal record and was arrested twice for alleged harassment and theft. An inquest into Miss Dykes’ death at Southwark Coroner’s Court, South London, heard evidence from embassy security officer Alison King about the arrangements in place. He told the court that in 2017 staff were advised to use only three vetted taxi companies for personal journeys. However, Miss King said some embassy staff would use different companies. He said: “It later emerged that many employees were using other taxi companies when it was convenient for them.” Bharat Joshi, head of safety at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, said the review following Ms Dykes’ death found a “very, very strong” safety culture. Despite this claim, he added that many staff working at the embassy chose not to follow advice to use vetted taxi companies, with many going to Uber because of their “familiarity” with the brand and potential waiting times for taxis. audited companies. He added that “there has never been a serious incident” before the one involving Uber in Lebanon. After the killing, Lebanon’s government urged people to avoid using the company, with a minister calling it unsafe. Ms Dykes’ sister asked witnesses at the inquest if guidance had now changed to actively encourage staff to avoid using Uber. She was told she had updated her advice.
Helping refugees
Ms Dykes worked at the Department for International Development at the time of her death and was in Lebanon helping refugees fleeing the war in Syria. Jane Houng, Mrs Dykes’ mother, said: “I just hope no parent has to go through what we have had to go through.” He continued: “When I went to Lebanon shortly after her death and sat around the table with Rebecca’s friends and colleagues, they all said they used Uber. It was common for personal trips that people used Uber taxis.” Ms Hung added that it was “painful” to hear that embassy staff now had to wear personal alarms, as “if Rebecca had worn one it would have saved her life”. Andrew Harrison, the senior coroner, recorded a finding of unlawful killing. He added that “great strides” had been made to improve the safety of staff working at the embassy in the years since Ms Dykes’ death. An Uber spokesperson said: “Everyone at Uber is devastated by this tragic incident and we have worked closely with the authorities to assist in the investigation. “All drivers using the Uber platform in Lebanon must have commercial licenses, which are based on passing a government background check. “Uber also performs background checks as part of the onboarding process for new drivers in the country. Beginning in 2018, we required supplemental background checks for existing drivers performed by Homeland Security Forces, which are conducted twice a year.”
