A TEENAGE boy has told a court how he was raped by a taxi driver who offered him a lift home.

A jury at Bolton Crown Court heard how the 15-year-old boy was late home after spending the evening with friends when he decided to walk back to his house in the early hours of July 13 last year.

The boy, who is now aged 16 and cannot be identified for legal reasons, said he was walking along Thicketford Road, Tonge Moor, at 3.30am when a taxi coming the opposite way stopped and the driver told him to get in.

The teenager explained he had no money, but told how the driver, later identified as 35-year-old Metro Cars driver Shahbaz Ahmed, replied: “You shouldn’t be walking around at this time. It’s dangerous.”

The boy got into Ahmed’s VW saloon car.

“At this time I thought he was being a friendly person and being nice dropping me off at home,” said the boy.

The car drove to the boy’s house, but stopped only briefly before driving on to the car park at Harwood Golf Club, the court heard.

Ahmed is then said to have forced the teenager into performing a sex act on him.

The boy said he considered trying to run away, but he was scared, fearing Ahmed would run him over in the car.

The boy said after the attack Ahmed played music in the car and drove him home, where the boy told adults what had happened and police were called.

Vanessa Thomson, prosecuting, said forensic tests later revealed Ahmed’s DNA was found on the boy.

She added that when police arrested Ahmed on suspicion of rape he asked them whether the accusation came from a boy or girl.

He admitted being involved in a sex act with the boy, but claimed that the teenager had begged him for a lift and asked if he could “play with him”.

He told police that the boy produced a knife and threatened to cut himself and blame it on the driver if he did not agree.

Ahmed, aged 35, of Parkfield Road, Great Lever, denies rape.

The case continues.