Uber driver accused of raping and murdering British diplomat in Beirut told cops he killed her for 'wearing a short skirt'

A sick video on suspect Tarek Hawchieh's Facebook page shows him performing a sex act with a fish.

Suspect Tarek Hawchieh was pictured with a semi-automatic weapon on Facebook

An Uber driver accused of raping and murdering a British diplomat told police he targeted her because she was wearing a short skirt, it has been reported.

Tarek Hawchieh has been named as the man suspected of killing 30-year-old Rebecca Dykes in Beirut, and a horrifying Facebook video shows him taking part in a sex act with a fish.

The murder suspect is also photoed smiling as he poses with an assault rifle.

Ms Dykes, who worked at the British Embassy in the Lebanese capital, is believed to have been strangled after being picked up from a bar, where she had met with friends.

Her body was found by police dumped at the side of the road, and the 29-year-old driver was identified using tracking information from his car.

A Lebanese police source told MailOnline: "He said he found her pretty, wearing a short skirt…and so he decided to rape her as it would be easy as she was a foreigner."

Images on the suspect's Facebook page include shots of him holding a Kalashnikov weapon in 2014, and he is also pictured pouring himself what appears to be vodka.

Lebanon's interior minister this week said the Uber driver had served time in prison, and accused the company of not checking criminal records of its drivers.

Minister Nohad Machnouk said the driver had three priors on his judicial record involving drugs and had been imprisoned on that basis.

The driver was traced using tracking information from his car, according to reports 

The Uber driver reportedly admitted to the killing when he was arrested

"This company, when it hires drivers, and lets them work within its organisation, does not check their priors", he said at a news conference.

An Uber spokesperson said all drivers the company uses in Lebanon are fully licensed by the government and must have a clear judicial record.

The spokesperson said a copy of the driver's judicial record published by local media, showing no judgments against the driver, was accurate.

Uber confirmed in an email that he was a licensed taxi driver with a clean background check.

Ms Dykes' family said they are "grateful that the investigation is moving at pace" and thanked the authorities for acting "quickly and thoroughly".

"Becky was genuine, generous, and loving, as anyone who knew her would agree. She was intelligent, ambitious, and dedicated to her work," they said.

"Becky had a love of travelling, and was passionate about helping people.

"She always wanted to make the world a better place - her humanitarian work in Beirut was testament to that."