Rotherham limousine business owner who raped girls as young as 12 jailed
A man who used his limousine company to groom and sexually abuse teenage girls has been jailed.
David Saynor, who lived in Rotherham at the time, carried out a string of offences against girls as young as 12 in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
He would take his victims out for rides, ply them with alcohol, encourage them to undress or dance for him, and in some cases rape or sexually assault them.
His victims, who were aged between 12 and 18 when the offences happened, would be given money for cigarettes, food or occasionally drugs.
They were sometimes collected from their school or care homes in his stretch Hummer, taken to or from teenage discos in Rotherham, or just for rides around the area.
Saynor, now of Mayall Court, Lincoln, actively encouraged them to call him if they needed picking up from somewhere, and often told them to bring friends.
On one occasion he picked up one of his victims, who was aged only 12 or 13 at the time, and took her back to the yard where he stored his limousines. He went on to rape her in an office building there.
One victim was abused repeatedly over a period of two years when she was 14 and 15 years old. She recalled being picked up in her school uniform with groups of other girls, given alcohol, cigarettes and money. On one occasion, when she was on her own, he raped her in the back of the limousine. Afterwards, he threatened to hurt her family if she told anyone.
Another victim was driven to an area of Sheffield she didn’t know and told to perform a sexual act on him or be left there, miles from home and with no means of getting back.
Saynor was arrested by officers from the National Crime Agency's Operation Stovewood team in 2020, after numerous victims identified him.
Following a five-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court, he was found guilty of 15 charges relating to eight victims.
Today, 15 August, he was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Stuart Cobb, NCA Senior Investigating Officer, said: “Saynor preyed on vulnerable girls who continue to live with the effects of his abuse as adults.“The victims showed extraordinary bravery in reporting what Saynor did, and I’m pleased that we were able to get justice for them.
“I hope Saynor’s imprisonment will bring the victims some closure.”
To date, 36 people have been convicted of offences following investigations by the NCA’s Operation Stovewood, which is looking at allegations of abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.
It remains the single largest investigation of its kind in the UK, with more than 1,150 potential victims identified. Another 50 investigations are ongoing as part of Stovewood.
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