A Lebanese man who brutally raped and murdered a British embassy worker has been sentenced to death.

Uber driver Tarek Houshieh used a rope to strangle Rebecca Dykes to death in Beirut in December 2017 and then callously dumped her corpse on the side of a highway, reported Sky News on Friday.

Houshieh, who previously had been arrested twice for reported harassment and customer theft, confessed to the attack at the time, according to Agence France-Presse, which added that Lebanese authorities didn’t believe the murder was politically motivated.

Choking marks were discovered on the 30-year-old victim’s neck, said officials.

“For Becky to have her life cruelly taken away in these circumstances is devastating to our family,” said her relatives in a statement. »

Dykes, who according to her LinkedIn profile was working as a program and police manager for the international development department, had been socializing with work colleagues the Friday before her remains were discovered. She hailed Houshieh’s cab after leaving a bar around midnight, officials said.

Despite Dykes’ death being reported the same day she was found, officials stated Houshieh attempted to obscure his tracks by disposing of her purse and identification.

Several days later, he confessed to his crimes after cops tracked his phone and vehicle through closed-circuit cameras.

“Becky had a love of traveling and was passionate about helping people,” said her family. “She always wanted to make the world a better place. Her humanitarian work in Beirut was testament to that.”

Although Lebanese judges call for the death sentence in numerous murder cases, the country has placed an unofficial ban on executions since 2004