Rapist was allowed keep taxi licence

A LIMERICK taxi driver, jailed for seven years on Monday for raping a teenage customer, was allowed to continue working as a taxi driver by a District Court judge following the rape allegation despite objections by Limerick’s most senior garda officer.

John Ryan, 43, of Clonard, Westbury, was found guilty by a jury last November of raping the woman, now aged 21, on October 17, 2007, after picking her up in his cab near a city nightclub.

A senior Garda source last night confirmed that Ryan was the unnamed applicant who went to Limerick District Court on January 3, 2008, to appeal a decision of Chief Supt Willie Keane (now Assistant Commissioner) to revoke Ryan’s public service vehicle (PSV) licence following the rape allegation being made to gardaí and a file being sent to the DPP.