Women speak of rape impact as taxi driver to be sentenced

A 50-year-old taxi driver who targeted vulnerable women on their way home at night will be sentenced later this month for rape.

Raymond Shorten, from Melrose Crescent, Clondalkin in Dublin, was found guilty of raping two young women on separate nights in June and August 2022.

A jury found him guilty of the charges last month by unanimous verdict.

The prosecution said the young women were vulnerable because they were intoxicated and Shorten had preyed on their incapacity.

In her victim impact statement, one of the young women said she had done what every girl was told was safe, by getting a taxi home, but it turned out to be “someone’s worst nightmare” and she said she was constantly in fear that what happened to her that night would happen again.

The other young woman said it was shocking that it had happened in the first place and that a predator like Shorten did not just get her, but had raped another.

The Central Criminal Court heard that Shorten has also been convicted of other serious sexual offences – the details of which cannot presently be reported to protect the identity of the victim.

The court heard both women, who were 19 and 20 at the time, had been working and socialising in Dublin city centre. The first incident took place in June 2022 and the second in August the same year.

Both women were drunk and both found themselves in a taxi driven by Shorten while on their way home. Both were raped by him.

He claimed the sexual interactions had been initiated by the young women and that they had been consensual.

In her victim impact statement read to the court by prosecuting counsel Gerardine Small, the young woman who was raped in June 2022, said she did not know what to say. She said it was shocking that it had even happened in the first place and that “a predator like this didn’t just get me but raped another.”

She said the attack had messed with her intimate life as it was her first time and she was a virgin. She said she had made some poor decisions around her dating and intimate life because of it.

The young woman said she had lost confidence and was uncomfortable in taxis. She said a lot of men in a room was enough to panic her. She said she had lost her ability to feel carefree and safe in the streets and she got flashbacks. She said it was sickening and unsettling.

The second young woman’s statement was also read to the court by Ms Small. She said she had developed feelings of anxiety and suffered from vivid nightmares leading to sleepless nights, which had affected her college work.

She said anxiety was still a daily struggle.

She was always told “don’t get the bus, don’t walk home – get a taxi – it’s the safest option.” so she had done what every girl was told was safe, but it turned out to be “someone’s worst nightmare.”

She said she was constantly in fear that what happened that night would happen again.

She said all she remembered about Shorten was his thick Dublin accent and she was triggered by men with similar accents. She had extreme trust issues, she said, especially relating to men and found herself getting upset and angry with people at the end of nights out.

She said what had happened was constantly in her thoughts but she was trying her hardest to take back the life he had taken from her. Two years of her 20s had been taken away she said, but now she could begin to make up for time she had lost.

The court heard Shorten has seven children and had a good relationship with them before going into custody in 2022. He had been a factory worker and a milkman before becoming a taxi driver.

His defence counsel, Lorcan Staines, said the convictions had resulted in the loss of his marriage and his relationships with his elderly parents and children.

Ms Small told the court the view of the Director of Public Prosecutions was that the offences lay on the more serious end of the scale and merited sentences of between ten to 15 years. She said they could also fit within the criteria for possible consecutive sentences.

She said the DPP took this view due to the breach of trust involved. Shorten had a public service vehicle licence, she said, and was trusted to bring members of the public home. A taxi should have been a place of sanctuary for the two young women.

Ms Small said another factor was the young age of the victims who were 19 and 20. Shorten was 48. His victims were vulnerable and intoxicated and he preyed on their incapacity, she said. In the case of the first young woman it was clear that he had targeted her as she had not even hailed a cab.

Mr Justice Paul McDermott said he would sentence Shorten on 22 July.