Description
Lance Melville Percival, 64, (DOB:15/10/1960) from Oxted, pleaded guilty to eight counts of sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder impeding choice, four counts of rape, 2 counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration when he appeared at an earlier hearing.
He was also given a Restraining Order preventing contact with the survivor and her immediate relatives, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
An investigation commenced when an SD card hidden within his wallet was identified as containing numerous files showing him committing the offences. The survivor can clearly be heard telling him to stop in some of the videos whilst he was subjecting her to various levels of abuse. A total of 16 videos were found spanning 13 dates between 2021 and 2024.
The survivor had never reported the abuse and had little understanding or comprehension of what has happened to her. It is believed that she would never have told anyone about what was happening due to the level of grooming and her lack of understanding.
Percival worked as a self-employed taxi driver, licensed by Tandridge District Council, for 10 years. As soon as these allegations came to light, Surrey Police notified the Council and his Hackney Carriage license was immediately revoked.
Detective Constable Marc Taylor from Surrey Police’s Sexual Offences Investigation Team, who investigated the case, said:
“Percival is a sexual predator who abused his position as her driver and took advantage of the victim’s vulnerability. The level and nature of the abuse was hugely shocking and I would like to thank all of my colleagues that assisted in the investigation. It is clear that
Percival knew what he was doing and I am glad that his depraved actions finally came to light. Thanks to the work of the Sexual Offences Investigation Team and the bravery of those involved in the investigation, we were able to secure sufficient evidence to leave
Percival no choice but to plead guilty to his crimes, meaning the survivor and her family were spared the trauma of going through the process of a trial.
This investigation, and today’s sentence, show how seriously any reports of sexual offences are taken and demonstrates that we will do whatever it takes to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.”