Taxi Driver, Who Raped Two Women, Had A Licence Despite Previous Convictions For Sexual Offences

Thursday, 4 July 2024 15:15

By Martin Osborne

Raymond Shorten, from Melrose Crescent, Clondalkin in Dublin, was convicted of the rape of two women in his taxi.

Party leader Holly Cairns has questioned how a taxi driver with previous convictions for sexual offences was able to get a licence in the first place.

It's after 50 year old Raymond Shorten, from Melrose Crescent, Clondalkin in Dublin, was convicted of the rape of two women in his taxi.

Deputy Cairns says the story is the stuff of nightmares for women looking for a safe way home after a night out.

"A convicted sexual offender operating as a taxi driver is every woman’s worst nightmare. Women, who use taxis at night, do so not just to get home - but to get home safely. However, women who got into Shorten’s taxi were exposed to a serial sexual predator. Two of them were brutally attacked and raped as a result," she said.

“This case raises major questions for the regulator, the National Transport Authority. Most importantly, why did Shorten - who was convicted of sexual offences - have a taxi licence?"

She added: "The NTA has the power to disqualify taxi drivers convicted of serious crimes – so why did it fail to do so? There are other questions also. Does the NTA have a record of taxi drivers who have been convicted of serious crimes? How many taxi drivers have been disqualified as a result of committing serious offences?"