Taximan guilty of sex assault on teen

A taximan has been found guilty by a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a then 15-year-old girl who had hailed him to drive her to the city centre.

The 52-year-old driver had denied two counts of sexually assaulting and two counts of falsely imprisoning his victim on Sunday, August 15, 1999.

The jury took almost 90 minutes to return its guilty verdicts on all the charges on day two of the trial.

The man collapsed in the courtroom after the jury returned its verdict but recovered within minutes after being attended by gardai, prison officers and court officials.

Judge Patrick McCartan remanded him in custody for sentence on Tuesday next.

The now 18-year-old woman said she hailed the taxi at Donnycarney Church to bring her to the Ambassador Cinema at Parnell Square where she was to meet friends.

She told prosecuting counsel Mr Anthony Hunt BL she got in the front passenger side and he remarked that she was "a lovely looking girl". He then introduced himself to her.

A few minutes later he dropped his hand to touch her genital area over her trousers and she pushed his hand away.

He invited her to go for a drive with him and told her to call her friends and tell them she would be late meeting them.

The woman said that when they arrived at her destination he didn't stop but drove on to a nearby laneway which was a small cul-de-sac beside a parking area.

She asked him what he was doing and why he had stopped. He told her: "It will only take a while." She said she told him she did not want to be there, and he replied: "I will make it worth your while. I will give you £20."

She refused, but he reached over and put her hand on her left breast, underneath the jumper and the black vest she was wearing. He also asked her to give him "a quick feel."

She said she was terrified at this stage and he then acceeded to her demand that she brought back to her friends.

When they got there she asked him how much she owed him and he told her : "You can make up for it later."

She said as he drove away she was trying to look at the license plate but could only see two digits because her friend had come over to hug her.

She told the court she had earlier seen the man's brass identity badge number pinned on his red polo pullover and had memorised the number.