Death penalty upheld for Uber driver who killed British woman

An Uber driver convicted of the brutal sexual assault and murder of a British government worker has today seen the death sentence for her killing upheld. 

Rebecca Dykes, who worked for the Department for International Development, was found dead beside a road in Beirut five years ago today after going missing following a ‘girls night out’ in the Lebanese capital.  

Tariq Houshieh was found guilty of assaulting Ms Dykes and then strangling her to death with the chord of his hoodie before dumping her body in 2019.

He was sentenced to death but appealed, with judges today rejecting that appeal. 

Ms Dykes was heading home from a night out with friends in Beirut when Houshieh, her driver, attacked and murdered her before dumping her body 

Tariq Houshieh, an Uber driver who sexually assaulted then strangled a British government worker in 2017, has today seen his death sentence upheld 

However, he is unlikely to face the death penalty as there is a de-facto moratorium on executions in Lebanon. None have been carried out since 2004. 

Houshieh had been working as a taxi driver despite having a criminal record and being arrested twice in the past for alleged harassment and theft.

Following the incident the Government of Lebanon urged people to avoid using the company, with one minister calling it unsafe.

The attack shocked Lebanon’s expat community, where such attacks are rare and foreigners generally feel safe.

‘We hope this verdict will bring some closure for Becky’s family, for the many around the world who loved Becky, and for all those whose lives she touched through her humanitarian work in Lebanon and elsewhere,’ the UK embassy in Beirut said.

Dykes’ family, in a separate statement carried by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, said the final verdict followed multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, court employee strikes and other issues.

The final ruling is ‘an occasion to remember Rebecca as a young woman who had dedicated her short life to the victims of war and misery,’ the statement said. 

‘Her family had never seen Rebecca as motivated and happy as she was during her stay in Lebanon.’

After her death, Dykes’ family and friends set up a foundation in her name ‘dedicated to the creation of stable communities in Lebanon.’