Dublin taxi driver rapist was prolific Facebook ranter who moaned about ‘bogey’ cabs

Rapist Raymond Shorten (50) of Melrose Crescent, Clondalkin, Dublin will be sentenced next month after was found guilty of two counts of rape and one of anal rape by a jury at the Central Criminal Court today.

In the years leading up to and after he raped two women in his cab, he regularly expressed ranted on social media about taxi safety issues, gay people and refugees.

Despite his own future actions, Shorten used Facebook to warn the public about other taxi drivers on the city’s streets.

After gardai posted a warning about a “bogus taxi” stopped by DMR Traffic in 2016, he wrote:

“Not properly regulated.

“No check points and even us drivers have spotted a lot of bogey taxis but can do f**k all about it.”

In another story, in January 18, 2021 relating to how gardai were looking to contact a taxi driver in the Killinarden area of Tallaght, Shorten sneered: “Jesus they narrowed it down… there a (sic) hundreds of Toyota Prius taxis…why don’t they contact Tallaght cabs…cars are tracked with history of there (sic) journey.”

In a more recent Sunday World story, in July 2022, relating to how refugees from 20 countries – excluding Ukraine – will need visas to come to Ireland, Shorten left a long rambling rant.

“Ye sure we have every nationality here now sure give them a taxi to drive while your (sic) at it,” he stormed.

“There’s people working there (sic) hearts out not getting to see there (sic) own kids and getting them minded to pay extortionate rent prices.

“It’s not our problem so please I’m sorry for there (sic) troubles but enough is enough.”

However, it wasn’t just standards in his own industry that riled up rapist Shorten.

In a June 2015 story relating to how teachers were “still afraid they’ll be fired because they’re homosexual” in the Irish independent, creep Shorten posted: “I won’t say nothing if there (sic) lesbian.”

He also commented about Al Porter after a story appeared about the comedian walking free from court after a charge for sexually assaulting a young man at a Dublin venue was dropped, in 2019.

Shorten’s response was: “It’s about time…never a doubt….what a great guy. I’m so happy for him.”

He even had an opinion on Rio Ferdinand after the footballer was viciously trolled over his wife’s death by cruel Chelsea Football Club fans in May 2015.

Shorten posted: “They should be locked up…the woman done nothing on them…hate Chelsea.”

Shorten, meanwhile, has been remanded in custody to be sentenced on July 1 following his six-day trial.

The prosecution’s case was that each young woman found themselves in a taxi after a night out socialising in Dublin city centre where each was raped by the driver, Shorten.

In her opening speech, senior prosecuting counsel Gerardine Small said it was the prosecution’s case that each woman found themselves in a taxi after a night out socialising in Dublin city centre in the summer of 2022, where they were raped in the vehicle by Shorten.

While the two women don’t know each other, there were some similarities between them and their evidence during the trial. They were close in age – the first 19 and the second 20 – when the incidents occurred in June and August 2022.

They had both been socialising and drinking on the nights in questions. They both said they found themselves in a taxi where a man raped them.

Shorten denied the allegations of rape and said he had consensual sexual contact with both women, which they initiated. They both strongly denied consenting to sex when Shorten’s account was put to them by his defence counsel.

In her evidence, the first woman said she drank five pints of cider, an amount she wasn’t used to, on the night of June 25, 2022.

She described gaps in her memory of her journey home. She recalled waking up in the front passenger seat of a car in the early hours, with a man driving.

She said she felt very dazed and her eyes were heavy.

She said the man moved her to the back seat where he raped her anally and vaginally. She said it was very sore and she was falling in and out of consciousness.

When he finished, the man returned to the driver’s seat, then dropped her near her home.

He had pleaded not guilty, saying the sexual interactions between him and each woman was consensual.

But the jury did not accept Shorten’s version of events, as they convicted on all three counts after 76 minutes of deliberation.