Content warning: mentions of sexual assault.
On Thursday, November 14, the former Uber driver accused of raping a Villanova University student in her dorm room in the Commons appeared before court. The assailant, 26-year-old Mirvan Dinler, faced charges of rape, indecent sexual assault and related crimes.
The incident took place in Hovnanian Hall during the overnight hours of Sept. 13 to 14. The complainant, who was his Uber passenger, reported the crime to the University’s Department of Public Safety on Sept. 20. Dinler was arrested on Sept. 13, and the incident was filed in Delaware County Criminal Court on Oct. 3.
During the hearing, which took place at district court in Newtown Square, Dinler and the complainant, who remains anonymous, both appeared before District Judge Sloan Walker. The complainant detailed her experience the night of the incident, as described in an article by the Philadelphia Inquirer. She shared that after a night out in Philadelphia, she felt unwell and decided to return to campus. The complainant called an Uber, at which point, she came into contact with Dinler, who drove her back to campus. The assault took place that night in Hovnanian Hall, as the complainant was unconscious, she said.
Following the assault, Dinler returned to demand payment for cleaning his car, which he claimed had vomit in it from her ride back from Philadelphia. The complainant complied, paying him through an app. She shared that she felt he would not leave otherwise. Dinler’s attorney, Shaka Johnson, claimed that his client denies the allegations. Johnson described that there were “glaring cracks” in the complainant’s account of what happened that night.
“This case is about credibility, who you believe,” Johnson said after Dinler’s hearing, according to the Inquirer article.
After this hearing, the judge ruled that there is sufficient evidence to move this case forward. The case will proceed to county court, the formal arraignment taking place on Jan. 2. Dinler is currently out on unsecured bail as he awaits trial.
Sexual assault is an unfortunate but very real issue on college campuses, including Villanova’s. To report a sexual assault or an act of sexual misconduct, call Public Safety at 610-519-5800; the Title IX Coordinator Ms. Ryan Rost at 610-519-8805; or a Deputy Title IX Coordinator. For more information on support resources, call the Sexual Assault Resource Coordinator (SARC) at 484-343-6028. For more information on Villanova’s sexual misconduct prevention and education efforts, visit: https://www1.villanova.edu/university/sexual-misconduct/education.html. For the National Sexual Assault Hotline, call 1-800-656-4673.
