Rapist taxi driver Raymond Shorten is allowed to continue driving taxis because his criminal record is not ‘serious’ enough

We can reveal that rapist taxi driver Raymond Shorten was allowed to continue driving taxis and harassing women because his previous convictions for sex offences were not “serious” enough.

Heinous sex offender Shorten, 50, is due to be sentenced later this month after being found guilty of raping two young women in June and August 2022.

Shorten, from Melrose Crescent in Dublin’s Clondalkin district, preyed on young women who were drunk and therefore defenseless after a night of drinking.

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On Monday, the Central Criminal Court learned that he had been convicted of further serious sexual offences – details of these offences cannot be disclosed in order to protect the identity of the victim.

It raised questions about why Shorten was not disqualified from holding a small public transport licence, which requires a police check. A source told us that Shorten’s previous convictions did not meet the criteria in the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 that justify revoking a SPSV licence.

An Garda Siochana stated: “The amended Taxi Regulation Act 2013 provides that a person convicted of an offence listed in Schedule 1 shall be disqualified from holding a PSV licence for life or for a specified period.

“This is not the case in this specific case. With the start of the criminal investigation in 2022, which has now been concluded in court, the SPSV’s driving license was revoked.”

Rachel Morrogh, executive director of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said the apparent flaw in the system raised serious questions.

She told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “It is extremely concerning that Raymond Shorten had already been convicted of a sex offence and yet he was still driving a taxi and picking up passengers who mistakenly thought his taxi was the safest way home.

“Although we do not know what sexual offence he was previously convicted of, it was reported in court that it was a ‘serious’ sexual offence.

“There are serious and urgent questions that need to be answered by the Taxi Regulatory Authority because the law states that certain convictions, including sexual offences, lead to mandatory disqualification from driving small public vehicles.

“If for any reason this is not done routinely, the public must be informed of the reason and the government must take immediate action to remedy this.”

Vile Shorten, who previously worked as a milkman, denied the allegations and claimed that both women, aged 19 and 20 at the time, initiated the sex and that it was consensual.

Prosecutor Geraldine Small told the Central Criminal Court that the offences deserved a prison sentence of ten to 15 years.

She said Shorten exploited his victims and in the case of the first young woman it was clear he was targeting her because she did not hail a taxi.

According to official figures, 70 cases of rape or sexual assault in taxis were reported between 2017 and 2023. The Irish Taxi Drivers Association called for video surveillance in the vehicles to protect drivers and passengers.

Ms Morrogh said: “We all, but especially young women and their parents, expect taxis to be a safe place.

“In the vast majority of cases, this is the case. However, Raymond Shorten abused the trust placed in him and used his place of work, a public service vehicle, to abuse women who were extremely vulnerable.

“Raymond Shorten has transformed his taxi from a familiar mode of transport into a hiding place for predators that he uses to isolate and attack his passengers.”

Earlier this week, Social Democrat leader Holly Cairns raised the case in the Dáil, describing it as “every woman’s worst nightmare”.

She said: “The government must reassure the public that the taxi regulator has sufficient powers to identify and disqualify taxi drivers convicted of serious sexual offences.”

“A convicted sex offender working as a taxi driver is every woman’s worst nightmare. Women who use a taxi at night do so not just to get home – but to get home safely.”

“However, the women who got into Shorten’s taxi were exposed to a serial sex offender. Two of them were then brutally attacked and raped. This case raises big questions for the regulator, the National Transport Authority.”

“And most importantly, why did Shorten, who was convicted of sex offences, have a taxi licence?”

The National Transport Authority stated that two licences are required to operate a taxi: a vehicle licence issued by the NTA and an SPSV driver licence issued by An Garda Siochana.

A statement added: “An Garda Siochana carries out a screening and assessment of the suitability of candidate drivers. In accordance with the relevant regulations, An Garda Siochana SPSV driving licences are only issued to persons who have been approved by An Garda Siochana as, among other things, suitable persons to hold an SPSV driving licence.

“Section 30 of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 lists the convictions which lead to the mandatory revocation of an SPSV driving licence.

“It further provides that the applicant for an SPSV licence or the holder of such a licence is required to notify the licensing authority, in this case An Garda Siochana, of the conviction at the time of application or within one month of conviction. Failure to notify is an offence.

“Under the Taxi Regulation Act 2013, the Gardai have the power to revoke SPSV licences if they consider it appropriate.”

In her victim impact statement, the first victim said it was shocking that Shorten not only targeted her, but also raped another woman.

The second woman said she lived in constant fear. Shorten spoke with a strong Dublin accent and the woman said she was now being provoked by men using similar language. Judge Paul McDermott said he would sentence Shorten, a father of seven, on July 22.

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