Taximan held as women claim they were raped

A TAXI driver was arrested yesterday afternoon after three women claimed they were raped and then held for four hours in the man’s South Dublin flat.

The three women, all aged 20, told gardaí they were sexually assaulted after accepting an invitation to return to the man's flat in Rathmines early yesterday morning.

They told gardaí they flagged down the taxi in Rathfarnham and asked the driver if he knew of any late-night bars. The driver then invited them back to his flat.

Once there, the women said he locked the doors and windows and threatened them with a scissors. They then claimed he raped them in turn.

The three told gardaí the man held them in the flat between 2am and 6am before they managed to escape. They reported the alleged assaults to gardaí and underwent medical examinations. At midday, a 35-year-old man was arrested under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act and taken for questioning to the local station. He can be held for 12 hours without charge.

The 35-year-old is the latest taxi driver to be accused of sexual assault. According to the National Taxi Drivers' Union, there have been eight separate allegations of rape or sexual assault made against drivers over the last 18 months.

Union spokesman Vinnie Kearns said he could not make any comment on the latest allegation, but said there had been a sharp rise in alleged criminal behaviour drug dealing and assaults among drivers since the introduction of deregulation.

"This is not nice news for us but I have to say we told you so," he said. He urged the Government to appoint an industry regulator immediately.