A RAPIST who preyed on young women by posing as a taxi driver has been jailed.

Shahzad Mahmoud, of Burwell Road, Leyton, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and two counts of oral rape.

He was sentenced to a 12 years in prison.

The 29-year-old will be placed on the Sex Offenders Regsiter and a recommendation was made to deport him back to Pakistan when his sentence is completed.

Mahmoud's first victim, a 23-year-old, was making her way home at 4am after working a shift as a waitress in a central London hotel in December 2006.

She was dropped off by a legitimate taxi outside Leyton Tube station. Mahmoud then drove passed and offered her a lift and she got in the car.

He drove to the dead-end of a dark road and said he would only take her home if she complied with his demands.

She was then forced to perform oral sex.

Mahmoud calmly told his victim to put her seatbelt on and began driving towards her home.

He stopped the vehicle suddenly in Hoe Street, Walthamstow, and told the woman to get out.

She flagged down a passing vehicle and the driver called police.

Mahmoud struck again in March last year.

His second victim was making her way home from work at around 2am when she was approached by Mahmoud in Leyton High Road.

He pulled up in a silver Jaguar and tried to engage the 23-year-old in conversation, but she ignored him.

As she turned into William Street, Mahmoud drove passed and parked.

Concerned, the woman turned into the next available road and started to run.

At the end of William Street she turned into Belmont Street, where she was grabbed from behind.

She turned to face her attacker and recognised him as a man who had stopped her a couple of weeks before and tried to kiss her.

When she had refused, he threatened to punch her in the face but she escaped.

This time, however, Mahmoud kept hold of her hair and sexually assaulted her.

She then ran to her nearby home and a housemate drove her to hospital. She reported the incident to a passing police patrol car on route.

Mahmoud's third victim was attacked days later as she made her way home from an Ilford nightclub at around 2am.

The 19-year-old was dropped off by a friend in Stratford and caught a bus into Waltham Forest.

She was walking along the footpath to Markhouse Road after getting off the bus in Lea Bridge Road when Mahmoud approached in his car.

The victim accepted an offer of a lift and asked to go to a petrol station in Markhouse Road.

But he drove her to a dimly-lit road behind the Argyle industrial estate and locked the car.

He then forced her to perform oral sex before releasing her nearby.

The victim made a note of the registration number and immediately reported it to the police.

Mahmoud was arrested a short time later after being spotted driving along Leyton High Rd.

Trainee Det Cons Tracy Smith, from Waltham Forest Sapphire Unit, said: "Throughout this case the defendant has shown little remorse for the horrific ordeal that he put each of his victims through. Each of the three attacks was a premeditated sexual attack.

"Admiration goes out to each victim - all of whom displayed tremendous courage in reporting the crime and being willing to attend court which resulted in the defendant pleading guilty to all three crimes.

"We hope that this result will encourage any other potential victims to come forward and speak with police who may have felt that they couldn't do so before. Anyone who feels they may have been a victim of Mahmoud's is asked to contact Walthamstow Sapphire Unit on 020 8345 3276."