Woman raped by taxi driver says in court it was her “worst nightmare”

This article contains references to rape and sexual abuse. The reader should read his opinion carefully.

By Eimear Dodd

A young woman who was raped by a Dublin taxi driver said she was told that a taxi was the “safest option” after a night of drinking, but instead it turned out to be the “worst nightmare”.

The Central Criminal Court heard victim impact statements on Monday from the two young women who were raped by Raymond Shorten (50) in separate incidents.

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

The other victim said what happened was “sickening and disturbing.” She said it was “shocking that this even happened, that such an offender not only got me, but raped someone else as well.”

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

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

The court heard that after a night of drinking in Dublin city centre, each of the young women ended up individually in a taxi and was raped by the driver, Shorten.

Shorten told police in a prepared statement that he had consensual sex with the women and that the two women had taken the initiative.

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

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

She said a man was driving the car and then stopped. The man put her in the back seat where he raped her anally and vaginally. She said it was very painful and she kept passing out.

When he was finished, the man got back in the driver’s seat and dropped her off near her house.

Gda McCarthy said Gardai were contacted the following day after the woman separately told her godmother and a colleague what had happened.

Shorten was identified as a suspect through surveillance cameras and linked to the taxi. He was arrested and questioned on September 1, 2022. He told police that the sex was consensual and initiated by the woman.

The Central Criminal Court heard that CCTV showed Shorten’s taxi making two U-turns and then stopping next to the woman who had failed to flag him down.

A DNA sample taken from Shorten matched DNA identified on swabs taken during an examination of the woman at a Sexual Assault Victims Treatment Unit (SATU).

In her victim statement, this woman called Shorten a “paedophile” and said it was “shocking” that he had raped two women.

She said the incident had affected her personal life and caused her to make poor decisions. She said she had lost her confidence and felt uncomfortable in taxis. “A lot of men in one room is enough to make me panic.”

She said she had lost the ability to “feel comfortable and safe on the street” and was suffering from flashbacks.

Gda Ultan McIlroy told the court that the second victim had gone into Dublin city centre to have a drink and decided to take a taxi home because 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 to him raping her. She said she was in shock and didn’t know how to defend herself.

He then took her home and demanded the fare of €70.

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

When she returned home, she burst into tears and told her parents what had happened.

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

In a prepared statement, he told police that the sexual contact was initiated by the woman and was consensual.

In her victim impact statement, this woman said she suffers from anxiety, insomnia, trust issues and nightmares. She said she is afraid that what happened that night could happen again.

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

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

She said she tries to go out and meet people, but “now my evenings usually end in tears because of what (Shorten) did to me.”

The woman also described the impact on her family, saying it was “a parent’s worst nightmare” when their child came home and told them they had been raped.

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

The Central Criminal Court heard that Shorten has multiple previous convictions, including for serious sexual offences in another case. Details of these unrelated offences cannot be disclosed to protect the victim’s anonymity.

Ms Small told the court that the Attorney-General had placed these offences in the more serious sentencing category due to the age of the victims and their vulnerability at the time. She said that Shorten had been a public transport licence holder and was trusted to take citizens home safely, and that the taxi should have been a “place of refuge”.

Defence counsel Lorcan Staines SC said his client had a long working career, first in a factory, then as a milkman and finally as a taxi driver.

Shorten is the father of seven children aged between 11 and 30 and had a good relationship with them before he was jailed in August 2022, the court heard.

Mr Staines said his client had destroyed his marriage and relationship with his parents, but hoped to eventually rebuild his bond with his children.

Shorten worked in the prison laundry during his incarceration.

After hearing the facts, Judge Paul McDermott adjourned the case until July 22 for a final decision.