Dublin taxi driver found guilty of raping two female passengers

A 50-year-old Dublin taxi driver has been found guilty of raping two female passengers in the back seat of his taxi on separate days in the summer of 2022.

Raymond Shorten, of Melrose Crescent in Clondalkin, had claimed that the sexual act was consensual.

Since Raymond Shorten was found guilty on all charges, his right to anonymity expires as he does not have to fear establishing the identities of the two survivors.

Two of the rape charges related to a young woman he picked up in Dublin in June 2022, while the third related to another passenger he raped in the back seat of his taxi two months later.

The public prosecutor described him as a “predatory” offender and accused him of deliberately attacking defenseless young women as they were on their way home after a night-time conversation.

He denied the allegations and claimed that both incidents were consensual. However, after deliberating for just 76 minutes, the jury found him guilty on all counts.

Raymond Shorten was remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing next month.

Main image: The Criminal Courts of Justice building in Parkgate Street, Dublin. Image: Noel Bennett / Alamy