A young woman who was raped by a Dublin taxi driver has said she was told getting a taxi was the “safest option” after a night out, but instead it turned out to be the “worst nightmare”.
The Central Criminal Court on Monday heard victim impact statements written by the two young women who were raped in separate incidents by Raymond Shorten (50).
One woman said she “never thought something like this would happen to me”. She said she was told a taxi was the “safest option” after a night out. She said she did what every girl is told is safe, but it turned out to be “someone's worst nightmare”.
The other victim said what happened was “sickening and unsettling”. She said it was “shocking that this even happened in the first place, that a predator like this didn't get just me but he raped another”.
She said she was a virgin at the time and it had “messed with (her) intimate life”.
Shorten, of Melrose Crescent, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, was convicted of two counts of rape and one of anal rape by a jury at the Central Criminal Court last month.
He had pleaded not guilty to the rape and anal rape of a 19-year-old woman on June 26th 2022 and to the rape of another woman, then aged 20, a couple of months later on August 9th.
The court heard that each young woman separately found themselves in a taxi after a night out socialising and drinking in Dublin city centre, where they were raped by the driver, Shorten.
Shorten told gardaí in prepared statements that he had had consensual sex with the women, which they had initiated.
Garda Kayleigh McCarthy told Gerardine Small SC, prosecuting, that the first victim drank five pints of cider, an amount she wasn’t used to, on the night of June 25th 2022 while socialising with friends.
The woman got separated from friends and had a limited memory of her journey towards home. Her next memory was waking up in the front passenger seat of a car in the early hours and feeling numb.
She said a man was driving, then stopped the car. The man moved her to the back seat where he raped her anally and vaginally. She said it was very sore and she was falling in and out of consciousness.
When he finished, the man returned to the driver’s seat, then dropped her near her home.
Gda McCarthy said gardaí were contacted the next day after the woman separately told her godmother and a colleague what had happened.
Shorten was identified as a suspect from CCTV and linked to the taxi. He was arrested on September 1st 2022 and interviewed, during which he told gardaí that the sex was consensual and initiated by the woman.
The Central Criminal Court heard that CCTV showed Shorten's taxi performing two u-turns, then pulling over beside the woman, who had not hailed him.
A DNA sample taken from Shorten matched DNA identified on swabs taken during an examination of the woman at a sexual assault treatment unit (SATU).
In her victim impact statement, this woman described Shorten as a “predator” and said it was “shocking” that he raped two women.
She said the incident has affected her intimate life as she was a virgin and “that was my first time”. “I’d say I’ve made some poor decisions around my dating and intimate life because of it.”
She said she had lost the ability to “feel carefree and safe in the streets” and suffers from flashbacks.
Gda Ultan McIlroy told the court that the second victim had gone for drinks in Dublin city centre. She decided to get a taxi home as 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 as he was raping her. She said she was in shock and didn’t know how to fight back.
Afterwards, he dropped her at home where he asked for the €70 fare.
She got a charger from the house as her phone had died and went back to the taxi to charge it. One of her parents later paid the fare in cash.
After returning to the house, she broke down and told her parents what had happened.
Shorten was arrested on August 22nd in relation to this incident. His DNA matched samples taken during a SATU examination of the victim.
In a prepared statement, he told gardaí that the woman had initiated the sexual encounter, which was consensual.
In her victim impact statement, this woman said she suffers with anxiety, sleeplessness, trust issues and nightmares. She said she worries what happened that night will happen again.
She said she was told taking a taxi was the “safest option” after a night out, but it turned into a nightmare.
The woman said her only memory of the night is Shorten's Dublin accent and she finds it triggering when she hears a similar accent.
She said she tries to go out socialising, but “now my nights out usually end in tears because of what (Shorten) did to me”.
The woman also outlined the impact on her family, describing how it is a “parent's worst nightmare” for their child to come home and tell them she was raped.
Three defence witnesses were called during the trial, who said they had had consensual sex with Shorten in his taxi on separate occasions.
The Central Criminal Court heard that Shorten has several previous convictions, including for serious sexual offences in an unconnected case. Details of these unrelated offences cannot be reported to protect the victim's anonymity.
Ms Small told the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions places these offences in the more serious category for sentencing due to the victims' ages and their vulnerability at the time.
She said that Shorten was the holder of a public service vehicle licence who was trusted to bring members of the public home safely, and the taxi should have been a “place of sanctuary”.
Lorcan Staines SC, defending, said his client has a long work history, initially in a factory, then as a milkman before working as a taxi driver.
Shorten is a father of seven aged between 11 and 30 and had a good relationship with them before he went into custody in August 2022, the court heard.
Mr Staines said his client has lost his marriage and relationship with his parents but hopes to eventually rebuild his connection with his children.
Shorten has been working in the prison laundry while in custody.
After hearing the facts, Mr Justice Paul McDermott adjourned the case to July 22nd for finalisation.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.
