A rapist was tracked down by police after he ordered a £19 kebab from Just Eat

A rapist who went on the run after attacking a woman was tracked down by detectives after he ordered a £19 kebab from Just Eat.

Daniel Hassan, 43, is believed to be the first criminal suspect in the UK caught by the police by ordering a takeaway on the online food delivery service.

What happened? 

A court heard Hassan met his victim on a dating site and arranged to meet for a date in Newcastle city centre in May 2021.

But he turned violent after his victim commented on his football team when they returned to her home to watch the Champions League Final.

The police said that Hassan punched and kicked the victim repeatedly to the head and body before raping her.

The victim could only identify him as ‘Danny’ and originally from Manchester, but specialist investigators were able to track him down using new technology.

Officers were able to recover a photo of the suspect despite Daniel deleting his dating profile.

They discovered an image that was a match for Hassan, who was believed to be in the village of Hauxley, County Durham, but there was no precise location of his whereabouts.

However, when Hassan ordered a takeaway through Just Eat on Wednesday, 9 June, officers were able to pinpoint his exact location and arrest him.

During the police interview, he denied the offences and refused to answer any further questions but he was charged with two counts of assault and one count of rape.

He was remanded in custody and a trial was set for at Newcastle Crown Court but he pleaded guilty on the first day. He is due to be sentenced on Friday, 11 March.

What has been said?

Detective Constable Dayna McNally, of Northumbria Police, said: “I can’t imagine how much of a traumatic experience this has been for the victim and she absolutely did the right thing reporting it to police.

“Even with the limited information we knew about Hassan, we have been able to track him down and provide strong evidence of his crimes to the point he has been unable to deny it any more.

“All the victim wanted was to find someone to connect with but this was the vile man she was faced with.

“But now, women are safe from Hassan as he remains in custody awaiting sentence and will no longer be a risk to those looking for companionship.”

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