Death penalty upheld for Uber driver who killed British woman
Uber driver who sexually assaulted and killed British woman has DEATH PENALTY sentence upheld in Lebanon after he tried to appeal
- Tariq Houshieh sentenced to death in Lebanon in 2019 for the sexual assault and murder of Rebecca Dykes, a British government worker
- Houshieh, an Uber driver, attacked Ms. Dykes as she was driving her home from a night out with friends in Beirut and then strangled her with the drawstring of her hoodie.
- He appealed the death sentence, but was told today that the punishment will stand.
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An Uber driver convicted of the brutal sexual assault and murder of a British government worker has today had her death sentence confirmed for her murder.
Rebecca Dykes, who worked for the Department for International Development, was found dead by the side of a road in Beirut five years ago after going missing after a “girls’ night out” in the Lebanese capital.
Tariq Houshieh was found guilty of assaulting Ms Dykes and then strangling her to death with the string of her hoodie before disposing of her body in 2019.
Tariq Houshieh, an Uber driver who sexually assaulted and then strangled a British government employee in 2017, has today had his death sentence upheld.
He was sentenced to death, but he appealed, and the judges today rejected that appeal.
However, it is unlikely that he will face the death penalty as there is a de facto moratorium on executions in Lebanon. None have been held since 2004.
Houshieh had been working as a taxi driver despite having a criminal record and having been arrested twice in the past for alleged harassment and theft.
Following the incident, the Lebanese government urged people to avoid using the company, with a minister calling it unsafe.
The attack shocked the expatriate community in Lebanon, where such attacks are rare and foreigners generally feel safe.
“We hope this verdict brings closure for Becky’s family, for the many around the world who loved Becky, and for all those whose lives she touched through her humanitarian work in Lebanon and elsewhere,” the embassy said. of the United Kingdom in Beirut.
Ms Dykes was on her way home from a night out with friends in Beirut when Houshieh, her driver, attacked and murdered her before dumping her body.
Dykes’ family, in a separate statement published by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, said the final verdict came after multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, strikes by court employees and other issues.
The final ruling is “an occasion to remember Rebecca as a young woman who dedicated her short life to the victims of war and misery,” the statement said.
“Her family had never seen Rebecca so motivated and happy as during her time in Lebanon.”
After his death, Dykes’s family and friends established a foundation in his name “dedicated to creating stable communities in Lebanon.”
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