Woman raped by taxi driver says ‘safest option’ after night out turned out to be ‘worst nightmare’

One woman said she “never thought something like this would happen to me”. She said she was told a taxi was the “safest option” after a night out. She said she did what every girl is told is safe, but it turned out to be “someone’s worst nightmare”.

The other victim said what happened was “sickening and unsettling”. She said it was “shocking that this even happened in the first place, that a predator like this didn’t get just me but he raped another”.

Shorten, of Melrose Crescent, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, was convicted of two counts of rape and one of anal rape by a jury at the Central Criminal Court last month.

He had pleaded not guilty to the rape and anal rape of a 19-year-old woman on June 26, 2022 and to the rape of another woman, then aged 20, a couple of months later on August 9.

The court heard each young woman separately found themselves in a taxi after a night out socialising and drinking in Dublin city centre, where they were raped by the driver, Shorten.

Shorten told gardaí in prepared statements he had had consensual sex with the women, which they had initiated.

Garda Kayleigh McCarthy told Gerardine Small SC, prosecuting, that the first victim drank five pints of cider, an amount she was not used to, on the night of June 25, 2022, while socialising with friends.

The woman got separated from friends and had a limited memory of her journey towards home. Her next memory was waking up in the front passenger seat of a car in the early hours and feeling numb.

She said a man was driving, then stopped the car. 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.

Garda McCarthy said gardaí were contacted the next day after the woman separately told her godmother and a colleague what had happened.

In her victim impact statement, this woman described Shorten as a “predator” and said it was “shocking” he raped two women.

She said the incident had affected her intimate life and led to her making poor decisions. She said she had lost confidence and felt uncomfortable in taxis. “A lot of men in a room is enough to panic me.”

She said she had lost the ability to “feel carefree and safe in the streets” and suffered from flashbacks.

Second victim

Garda Ultan McIlroy told the court the second victim had gone for drinks in Dublin city centre. She decided to get a taxi home as she was tired and drunk.

She fell asleep in the back of Shorten’s taxi and said the next thing she remembered was waking up as he was raping her. She said she was in shock and did not know how to fight back.

Afterwards, he dropped her home where he asked for the €70 fare.

She got a charger from the house as her phone had died and went back to the taxi to charge it. One of her parents later paid the fare in cash.

After returning to the house, she broke down and told her parents what had happened.

Shorten was arrested on August 22 in relation to this incident. His DNA matched samples taken during a SATU examination of the victim.

In a prepared statement, he told gardaí the woman had initiated the sexual encounter, which was consensual.

In her victim impact statement, this woman said she suffers with anxiety, sleeplessness, trust issues and nightmares. She said she worried what happened that night would happen again.

She said she was told taking a taxi was the “safest option” after a night out, but it turned into a nightmare.

The woman said her only memory of the night was Shorten’s Dublin accent and she found it triggering when she hears a similar accent.

She said she tried to go out socialising, but “now my nights out usually end in tears because of what [Shorten] did to me”.

The woman also outlined the impact on her family, describing how it was a “parent’s worst nightmare” for their child to come home and tell them she was raped.

Three defence witnesses were called during the trial, who said they had had consensual sex with Shorten in his taxi on separate occasions.

The Central Criminal Court heard Shorten had several previous convictions, including for serious sexual offences in an unconnected case. Details of these unrelated offences cannot be reported to protect the victim’s anonymity.

Ms Small told the court the Director of Public Prosecutions placed these offences in the more serious category for sentencing due to the victims’ ages and their vulnerability at the time. She said Shorten was the holder of a public service vehicle licence who was trusted to bring members of the public home safely, and the taxi should have been a “place of sanctuary”.

Lorcan Staines SC, defending, said his client had a long work history, initially in a factory, then as a milkman, before working as a taxi driver.