Taxi driver found guilty of sexual abuse of care home girl

A TAXI driver has been found guilty of sexually abusing a girl who was living in a children’s home.
Darren HyettDarren Hyett
Darren Hyett

Darren Hyett (54, pictured), of Broom Chase, Rotherham, was convicted at Sheffield Crown Court yesterday (Monday) of three counts of sexual activity with a child following a two-week trial.

He was cleared of four counts of rape, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity with a child and perverting the course of justice.

The jury failed to reach a verdict on a further count of rape.

Hyett sexually abused the girl when she was living at St Edmund's Care Home, Thurcroft, as a teenager while he was working for A1 Taxis. He groomed her with gifts, money, drink and drugs.

He was aged between 40 and 44 when the offences took place, between 2004 and 2007. The complainant was aged between 15 and 18.

Hyett has been remanded into custody and will be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on October 12.

Rotherham Borough Council has been contacted for a comment.

Hyett was charged as part of the National Crime Agency’s investigation into historic CSE in the town — dubbed Operation Stovewood — between 1997 and 2013.

This was the fifth Operation Stovewood trial.

To date, 35 people have been arrested, of whom 18 have been charged and seven convicted.

An earlier version of this story inaccurately reported the specific charges of which Hyett had been found guilty. This was based on incorrect information supplied to our reporter, which has now been corrected.

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