Taxi driver Raymond Shorten has been jailed for 13 years for raping a young girl over a decade ago.

Following an eight-day trial in May, Shorten was found guilty of raping the child on two separate occasions when she was either seven or eight-years-old.

He knew her family and the first rape happened just after her mother’s funeral.

Shorten was also convicted of sexually assaulting her in his car.

While considering an appropriate sentence for the father-of-seven, the judge said there was very little to mitigate his wrongdoing.

He said he abused the victim when he knew she was very vulnerable and he could not have cared less about the long-term pain and suffering he was inflicting on her.

Later today, a different judge will sentence Shorten for raping two female passengers in the back of his taxi, and he will decide whether that sentence should run alongside or after the sentence he received today for abusing the young girl.

Anyone impacted by sexual violence can contact Dublin Rape Crisis Centre for free on their 24 hour helpine on 1800 77 8888. 

Victims of childhood abuse can also reach out to One in Four on 01 66 24070. 

Main image: 50-year-old Raymond Shorten of Melrose Crescent in Clondalkin. Image: Facebook