Taxi Driver Online

Dublin, but the usual scenario

But interesting as regards the brief details about waiting for a Freenow car, and the app apparently visible to a passer-by. But she got in the 'fake taxi' anyway.

(I think Freenow is huge in Dublin and, according to Google, Uber is small be comparison )


Driver accused of ‘predatory’ sex attack on drunk student who thought car was taxi

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/c ... 11832.html

Alleged victim had been socialising with friends and fell asleep in vehicle

A driver asked a vulnerable, drunk young woman if she was “looking for a taxi”, then subjected her to a “predatory” sex attack when she got into his car and fell asleep, it is alleged.

A court was told the student who had been on a night out in central Dublin thought the accused’s car was a taxi when he “imprisoned” her, drove off and assaulted her.

The man (28), who is a Romanian national, told gardaí the woman (23) got into his car voluntarily and while he admitted propositioning her, he said it never went any further after she got upset.

Judge Andrew Gubbins refused him bail and remanded him custody for the preparation of a book of evidence.

He appeared at Dublin District Court on Friday charged with falsely imprisoning and sexually assaulting the woman in his car in the south city centre on Saturday, September 26.

Detective Garda Niall Murphy, of Kevin Street protective services unit, said the woman stated she had been socialising with college friends at a pub in the early hours.

She told her friends she was going to order a Freenow taxi and left on her own at about 1.30am.

Highly intoxicated, she saw what she believed to be a taxi.

The driver asked “are you looking for a taxi?”; she said yes, got in, gave her address and asked him to take her home.

She fell asleep and when she woke up, the car was stationary and the man was on top of her, pinning her down, she said.

She alleged his genitals were exposed and his penis was “in front of her face”.

The woman told gardaí the man was holding his penis with one hand and groping her with the other. She shouted “no, get off me”, but he kept her pinned down.

He refused to let her use her phone and she told him she just wanted to meet her friends.

The woman was not sure how she got out of the car, but when she did, she rang her friends and they arrived to find her sobbing and traumatised.

An independent witness told gardaí he saw the woman with the Freenow app visible on her phone getting into the car.

He said he ran up to warn her and shouted at the driver to let her out.

This man had “suspicions” about the accused, having encountered him earlier and finding his manner strange.

He shouted at the woman: “Get out of the car, he’s going to rape you,” knocked on the windows and tried to open the doors, but they were locked and the car drove off.

CCTV footage showed the accused driving his blue Opel Astra earlier that night, wandering around the city centre “in a restless manner, apparently seeking something”.

When gardaí questioned the accused, he admitted he had the alleged victim in his car.

He said he propositioned her to take drugs with him, asking “do you want to have some fun?” but she did not respond.

She failed to respond to him on multiple occasions, he said.

He maintained that after he got into the back with her and suggested taking off his clothes, she said “no, no” and became hysterical.

He told gardaí he realised it was serious and he let her out, pleading with her not to call the police.

The accused was “caught red-handed” and gardaí had grave concerns that he would “continue to target vulnerable females” if bailed.

“The behaviour was clearly predatory” and opportunistic, Det Gda Murphy said.

The garda also said the accused had what was believed to be a sexual encounter with another unknown woman minutes before he picked up the alleged victim.

On the footage, he parks his car in the Temple Bar area, meets the unknown woman and returns with her, Det Gda Murphy said.

He is seen moving the passenger seat forward before a 45-minute interaction with this woman when the windows can be seen “steaming up”.

Gardaí believed there was a “pattern of behaviour” where the accused was “regularly seeking out prostitutes” and had been taking cocaine on the night.

He also believed the accused was a flight risk.

The accused had private legal representation.

His barrister, Paddy Flynn, instructed by solicitor Niall O’Connor, said the accused denied sexually assaulting the alleged victim, maintaining that after making a proposition, nothing further happened.

He tried to calm her down when she got upset, he said.

There was no evidence he was seeking out sex workers and he maintained he was only doing drugs with the other woman he was in the car with earlier.

Det Gda Murphy said it could be inferred sexual activity was taking place in the car with the other woman when the windows fogged up, but he accepted it was possible this was simply from breathing.

Mr Flynn said there was evidence the alleged victim voluntarily entered the accused’s car without invitation.

The accused had thought the witness who ran over was dangerous, as they had an earlier altercation, he said.

The accused locked the door and drove off when the alleged victim shouted “go, go, go”.

He worked as a driver and if bailed would abide by conditions, including not driving, Mr Flynn said.

Judge Gubbins said the man was presumed innocent, but the charges were serious and he was not satisfied to grant bail.