Man acquitted of sexual assault brings court action over Garda refusal of taxi licence

Man says chief superintendent wrote to to him say he intended to refuse to grant a licence as he was not satisfied he is a 'suitable person' to hold one due to 'concerns raised by the allegation of a criminal act'

Under the Taxi Regulation Act 2013, An Garda Síochána, as the current licensing authority, “shall not” grant an SPSV licence unless it is satisfied the applicant is a suitable person to hold one. Picture: iStock

A man whose conviction for sexually assaulting his 19-year-old daughter was overturned is challenging a Garda decision to refuse him a taxi licence.

In High Court proceedings, he says he was proven innocent of the alleged wrongdoing but a chief superintendent later dealing with his small public service vehicle (SPSV) licence application told him “that’s not quite the case”.