Uber driver jailed for raping passenger

An Uber driver who raped his passenger after telling her the ride would be cheaper if she did something for him, has been jailed for at least three years.

Hafiz Muhammad Farid Babar picked the 18-year-old woman up from a house party at Hughesdale in southeast Melbourne in September 2018.

"Do you want the ride for cheaper?" Babar asked.

"If you do something for me, I can make the ride cheaper".

The woman kept protesting, saying "no, it's fine, I don't care about having to pay for the ride".

Babar pulled over part way through the trip, got into the back seat and digitally raped her as she said "no", cried and tried to get away.

Babar grabbed her leg to stop her getting out of the car but she fled to a nearby home and knocked on a stranger's door for help.

When Babar was arrested, he falsely claimed she had kissed and touched him and asked if he had a condom.

The 32-year-old eventually pleaded guilty to rape and was jailed in Victoria's County Court on Friday for a maximum of five years.

He must serve three years before becoming eligible for release on parole.

"You preyed upon a young girl who was affected by alcohol," Judge Christopher Ryan told Babar.

The judge noted it was an understatement to say the rape had a profound impact on the woman's life.

She was in her first year of university at the time, became overwhelmed by feelings of fear and shame, and remained plagued by memories of the rape.

"I still carry a large case of emotional baggage linked to this crime," she told the court in a statement.

Babar came to Australia from Pakistan to study in 2015 but his student visa was cancelled when he was charged.

The court was told he'd brought shame on his family back home and his wife had considered leaving him.

She was now supportive and wanted him to return to Pakistan after his sentence to start a family.

Babar previously professed his remorse to the court, and had developed post-traumatic stress and depressive symptoms.