Taxi driver in court for raping two women in Dublin

A taxi driver is on trial for allegedly raping two young women in separate incidents in Dublin in the summer of 2022.

The court heard that both women had been working, socialising and drinking in the city centre, with the first incident occurring in June 2022 and the second in August of the same year.

Each of the young women was on their way home from a night-time party in a taxi driven by the defendant and stated that they had been raped by him.

The man, in his 50s from Dublin, denies the allegations and says that in each case the interactions with the women were instigated and consensual.

Prosecutor Gerardine Small told the jury that the first young woman, now aged 21, met some people after work on the evening of June 25, 2022 and drank five pints of cider. She became separated from her friends and tried to get home alone.

The court heard that she was not used to drinking so much and was very drunk when she woke up in the passenger seat of a car driven by the defendant.

The prosecution claims that the woman was raped several times while she repeatedly lost consciousness.

She was eventually dropped off near her home in the early hours of the morning and the Gardaí were alerted later that day. CCTV footage they collected showed the young woman getting into a taxi and the accused was identified as the driver.

DNA samples taken during his arrest in September 2022 matched DNA from the woman’s body.

The man gave police a prepared statement in which he stated that the woman initiated the physical contact and that any sexual contact was consensual.

The second young woman worked very early on August 8, 2022 and then went out with friends. Ms. Small said this young woman was very tired and got into a taxi downtown.

She kept falling asleep and waking up to find the defendant having sex with her. She was shocked and felt vulnerable and unable to defend herself.

The jury heard that the driver took her to her destination and charged her for the fare. When he was arrested in August 2022, DNA samples matched DNA found on swabs taken from the woman’s body.

In this case, the driver also claimed that the woman initiated the physical contact and that the sexual contact was consensual.

The court heard that the two women did not know each other.

Ms Small told jurors that although the two cases would be tried together, they would have to consider each charge separately.