A ‘dangerous predator’ forced a vulnerable woman to the back of a bus and raped her – and it’s not the first time he has been linked with a sexual offence on a bus.

Rahmat Qalander, from Nelson, targeted the woman on the X43 bus from Burnley to Manchester, on February 1.

He sat next to his victim upstairs before forcing her to go to the back of the bus with him where he raped her.

He then got off the bus in Manchester and the victim, in her 20s and with a number of vulnerabilities, reported what had happened to the driver and police were called.

Following enquiries, Qalander was identified and arrested.

He was charged with the rape, and a second sexual assault on a 16-year-old girl, which was reported to have taken place on a bus in Nelson, on February 6.

Qalander, 23, was classed as a dangerous offender by the judge at Preston Crown Court and was jailed for 10 years.

He was told he must serve two-thirds of the year sentence before he is released. He will then be on licence for a further three years.

Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Denson, of East CID, said: “Qalander is clearly a dangerous sexual predator who targeted lone and vulnerable young women to carry out his offending.

“I would like to commend the victims in this case for their bravery in disclosing what happened to them and for having the courage to go through the court process.

"I am pleased that justice has been served for them and for the wider community who will be protected from this dangerous offender for many years.”