Gardai probe girl's taxi ordeal over 50 cent

Fuinseog

By Brian McDonald
Monday January 24 2011


GARDAI are investigating a complaint by an 18-year-old student that she was subjected to a terrifying ordeal by a taxi driver over an alleged debt of 50 cent.
The Limerick woman, who is a first-year student at NUI Galway, was recovering at her family home over the weekend after being driven away in the back of a taxi, without knowing where she was being taken.
Liz (not her real name) and three friends had taken a taxi on the five-minute journey from their accommodation to Eyre Square, in the centre of Galway city, last Thursday.
Shout
The trip always costs €8 and the women had each paid €2 and were getting out of the taxi when the driver started to shout at them, said Liz.
She was the only passenger remaining when the driver, who is a foreign national, drove off.
"He was shouting. He seemed to be saying that I owed him 50 cent. My friends got a terrible fright and contacted gardai who were at Eyre Square.
"The driver drove around for 10 minutes, shouting," said the shaken student.
Liz got a call on her mobile from one of her anxious friends and she put it on speaker phone to let the driver know gardai had been alerted.
Liz said she did not have any change and only had a €50 note, which she threw at the driver. When he halted the car to pick it up she fled from the vehicle.
- Brian McDonald
Irish Independent

whitelightrider

Fuinseog wrote: »

By Brian McDonald
Monday January 24 2011


GARDAI are investigating a complaint by an 18-year-old student that she was subjected to a terrifying ordeal by a taxi driver over an alleged debt of 50 cent.
The Limerick woman, who is a first-year student at NUI Galway, was recovering at her family home over the weekend after being driven away in the back of a taxi, without knowing where she was being taken.
Liz (not her real name) and three friends had taken a taxi on the five-minute journey from their accommodation to Eyre Square, in the centre of Galway city, last Thursday.
Shout
The trip always costs €8 and the women had each paid €2 and were getting out of the taxi when the driver started to shout at them, said Liz.
She was the only passenger remaining when the driver, who is a foreign national, drove off.
"He was shouting. He seemed to be saying that I owed him 50 cent. My friends got a terrible fright and contacted gardai who were at Eyre Square.
"The driver drove around for 10 minutes, shouting," said the shaken student.
Liz got a call on her mobile from one of her anxious friends and she put it on speaker phone to let the driver know gardai had been alerted.
Liz said she did not have any change and only had a €50 note, which she threw at the driver. When he halted the car to pick it up she fled from the vehicle.
- Brian McDonald
Irish Independent

I really hope they find this guy and throw the book at him. What gives him the right to scream at a young girl and then drive off with her in the car?

Mits

Is this for real.

I thought taxi drivers were needed to be garda vetted. The law should run its course and if found guilty he should never be allowed to drive a taxi again.

Fuinseog

whitelightrider wrote: »

I really hope they find this guy and throw the book at him. What gives him the right to scream at a young girl and then drive off with her in the car?

he is a foreign national. nobody is going to say boo to him for fear of being labelled a racist.

Fuinseog

Mits wrote: »

Is this for real.

I thought taxi drivers were needed to be garda vetted. The law should run its course and if found guilty he should never be allowed to drive a taxi again.

garda vetting is a joke. it only applies to the life of the person since they moved to Ireland. they could have been a serial killer in their home country and it would not be researched.

maybe the human rights centre in Gaway will come out and condemn the racist tone of the article.

PCPhoto

first of all .... (I really REALLY don't want to defend taxi drivers)

how do we know this version of events is true - she could have been extremely rude to him , the fare on the meter might have shown €8.50 - just because its usually €8 does not mean it will always be - so he might have told her she owed another 50cent and she could have freaked out claiming she wasn't going to pay.

Stuff like this happens all the time - a person gets into a taxi with the exact amount that they usually pay but they are left short because traffic was heavy or they had a bag which was added onto the fare or some sh1t like that ...in general a taxi driver would say, fair enough (no pun intended) ....but times are tough and even taxi drivers have to claw as much money out of people.

I don't want to come across as racist but in my experience when in an argument happens with a black guy or woman ... they shout and get louder and louder ... then play the race card....I do agree with the sentiment above that people will be afraid to say anything bad to the driver if he is black because they will be labelled a racist - the country is too PC.

irishgrover

Fuinseog wrote: »

he is a foreign national. nobody is going to say boo to him for fear of being labelled a racist.

I would have no problem saying boo to him, reporting him, calling the gardai, physically intervening (if necessary) etc etc, if an as is necessary. I wouldn't give a ****e that people might think I was a racist or anything else.
However, in reality, I don't know anyone who would claim that such actions were racially motivated.
IMHO the whole, "ya can't touch them cause they're foreign" is a load of ****e...

Re Taxi vetting: it' a joke, there are no shortage of criminals, and perves driving taxi's, more than willing to 'drop the hand' or whatever else. For the vast, vast majority of taxi men and women having to share their industry with so many unknowns must be very demoralizing

biko

Fuinseog wrote: »

maybe the human rights centre in Gaway will come out and condemn the racist tone of the article.

What's the racist tone? That the article mentions a foreign driver?

PCPhoto wrote: »

I don't want to come across as racist but in my experience when in an argument happens with a black guy or woman

Article just states the driver was foreign, he could have been Czech for all we know.

snubbleste

biko wrote: »

What's the racist tone? That the article mentions a foreign driver?
Article just states the driver was foreign, he could have been Czech for all we know.

The article does mention a foreign driver.
It would'nt have mentioned that it was an Irish driver.

The Orb

This is very serious...I'm no lawyer but what that guy did is false imprisonment, this thug should be caught, charged, tried and have his permission to stay in the country (if he has any) revoked before deportation/removal.

heavyballs

Fuinseog wrote: »

he is a foreign national. nobody is going to say boo to him for fear of being labelled a racist.

a few years ago i would agree but not anymore,the race card has pretty much been used to death and judges seem to be taking note of this aswell

TAR AND FEATHER the c*** (even if he happens to be white)

p.s. i'm not a racist

eagle10

Whatever did happen and he drove off with her against her will I reckon he could be charged with false inprisonment which is a criminal offence.

She could make a substancial claim and he could end up in jail it is a serious offence.

Wompa1

eagle10 wrote: »

Whatever did happen and he drove off with her against her will I reckon he could be charged with false inprisonment which is a criminal offence.

She could make a substancial claim and he could end up in jail it is a serious offence.

Hopefully deportation. It's a pretty serious crime like you said

biko

Well he didn't drive off with her maliciously. It's seems he just got really really really really really really really pissed off which scared her.

Wompa1

biko wrote: »

Well he didn't drive off with her maliciously. It's seems he just got really really really really really really really pissed off which scared her.

For 10 minutes? He must have been extremely pissed to not think within those 10 minutes what he was doing was criminal

HardyEustace

I never get a taxi from the rank as you never know who you're getting in with. As mentioned before, the vetting and continual assessment of taxi licences is desultory at best.

I'll always get a cab from a taxi office. I find pro cabs really, really good.

sesna

Seems to be more to this than meets the eye.

The driver may have been bringing her to the garda station, which is what they do in such circumstances.

The thing about the fare always costing a certain amount is bs. Taxi meter depends on time, which is variable as well as distance.

snubbleste

The headline says she is a girl. Further on in the piece, she is a woman. Why is that?

snubbleste

snubbleste wrote: »

The article does mention a foreign driver.
It would'nt have mentioned that it was an Irish driver.

Maybe it was to back up the "he seemed to be saying" breakdown in communication bit

PopeBuckfastXVI

The Orb wrote: »

charged, tried and have his permission to stay in the country (if he has any) revoked before deportation/removal.

I've bolded the important part, AFAIK we still live in a democracy with presumption of innocence.

Let's not go down the road of trial by internet just yet please.

fenris

snubbleste wrote: »

The headline says she is a girl. Further on in the piece, she is a woman. Why is that?

Long 10 minutes?

gbee

snubbleste wrote: »

It would'nt have mentioned that it was an Irish driver.

No but the driver would have been interviewed and released with a file going to DPP.

sesna

snubbleste wrote: »

The article does mention a foreign driver.
It would'nt have mentioned that it was an Irish driver.

I also wish to put an objection to the PC brigade for the misandric tone of the article - it suggests he was male through use of gender specific pronouns. Why couldn't they just refer to him as the human ?

gbee

sesna wrote: »

Why couldn't they just refer to him as a human ?

Because his behaviour was not? Just a thought.

snubbleste

sesna wrote: »

I also wish to put an objection to the PC brigade for the misandric tone of the article - it suggests he was male through use of gender specific pronouns. Why couldn't they just refer to him as the human ?

Maybe a complaint to the Press Council of Ireland is in order

Mitch Connor

snubbleste wrote: »

The article does mention a foreign driver.
It would'nt have mentioned that it was an Irish driver.

Well, obviously.

Joey the lips

I dont think this is all its cracked out to be.

A student with 50 euro.

Each friend gave 2 euro.

I would like to hear more

and yes i agree there is people out there now telling taxi drivers they will only pay amoUNT


Having said that. I hope its not true.

yeehaw

I don't like the guy's music either but I don't think I would describe having to listen to it in a taxi as an 'ordeal'. Maybe if it was a long journey, but that was not the case here.

Fuinseog

biko wrote: »

What's the racist tone? That the article mentions a foreign driver?


.

some would view that alone as racist.

its a lot of effort to go to over 50 cents.
i am not sure if an Irish driver would get that worked up over such a paltry sum.

maybe he was bringing her to mill street, although there is usually a garda presence on the Square, which was apparently the destination.

there could be cultural differences as well. while we would view an 18 year old as vunerable in some countries women are treated like dirt and maybe he did not appreciate being shortchanged.

it will be interesting to see what take the advertiser has on it.

Wompa1

Fuinseog wrote: »

there could be cultural differences as well. while we would view an 18 year old as vunerable in some countries women are treated like dirt and maybe he did not appreciate being shortchanged.

When in Rome..plus if he did it to a guy it would be just as wrong. He just most likely would have got popped in the jaw

Fuinseog

Joey the lips wrote: »

I dont think this is all its cracked out to be.

A student with 50 euro.

Each friend gave 2 euro.

I would like to hear more

and yes i agree there is people out there now telling taxi drivers they will only pay amoUNT


Having said that. I hope its not true.

apparently, haggling may become the norm. there are too many taxi drivers.
if the fare came to something like 8.40 the driver usually says 8. its handier all round.
so the balance of power is with the customer.
I remember a taxi driver who would not take my 50 euro note for a 10 euro fare, but usually they have a bit of change.

Fuinseog

Wompa1 wrote: »

When in Rome..plus if he did it to a guy it would be just as wrong. He just most likely would have got popped in the jaw

but then he could sue and get his fifty cents that way. tis a lot of money these days

um7y1h83ge06nx

The recession is hitting hard, 50 cent could keep a family fed and watered for a week these days. :rolleyes:

TristanPeter

snubbleste wrote: »

The article does mention a foreign driver.
It would'nt have mentioned that it was an Irish driver.

I was just watching Sky News a few minutes ago. They were talking about the Joanna Yeats case and how the suspect something Tabak appeared in court today for the first time. I found it interesting that even though the question of the necessity for a translator for Tabak was raised a couple of times, at no point did the reporters mention his nationality or whether or not he was from the UK.

shaggykev

yes but surely he burnt that 50c on petrol speeding around Galway for 10 minutes

And now he's going to lose his job etc

They really should of told him at the point of picking up, take us to the sqaure or as close to the sqaure for €8, so they may have needed dropping off at Eglington Street instead, big deal

Did the girl get her €50 back? It wouldn't of been a note I'd of thrown to get out of that car

R P McMurphy

TristanPeter wrote: »

I was just watching Sky News a few minutes ago. They were talking about the Joanna Yeats case and how the suspect something Tabak appeared in court today for the first time. I found it interesting that even though the question of the necessity for a translator for Tabak was raised a couple of times, at no point did the reporters mention his nationality or whether or not he was from the UK.

Think he is Dutch so I would have assumed he has great English

snubbleste

TristanPeter wrote: »

I was just watching Sky News a few minutes ago. They were talking about the Joanna Yeats case and how the suspect something Tabak appeared in court today for the first time. I found it interesting that even though the question of the necessity for a translator for Tabak was raised a couple of times, at no point did the reporters mention his nationality or whether or not he was from the UK.

It's mentioned everywhere else..
Vincent Tabak, a 32-year-old Dutch national - dailymail.co.uk
Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak - telegraph.co.uk
A 32-year-old Dutch national has appeared - bbc.co.uk/news
Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak - thisisbristol.co.uk
A DUTCH man accused of killing architect - thesun.co.uk
Dutch engineer is remanded in custody - guardian.co.uk

TristanPeter

snubbleste wrote: »

It's mentioned everywhere else..
Vincent Tabak, a 32-year-old Dutch national - dailymail.co.uk
Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak - telegraph.co.uk
A 32-year-old Dutch national has appeared - bbc.co.uk/news
Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak - thisisbristol.co.uk
A DUTCH man accused of killing architect - thesun.co.uk
Dutch engineer is remanded in custody - guardian.co.uk

That's not my point. Nor is it to do with his English language skills. I'm just saying that in the Sky news report I watched at no point was his nationality mentioned despite the mentioning of a translator. That's all.

Ficheall

Did they really need to call her "Liz" for such a short article? Would "she" not have sufficed?

mikom

Fuinseog wrote: »

Gardai probe girl's taxi ordeal over 50 cent

And people wonder why Zhivago went out of business.
It says it all when international rap superstars resort to cab driving in Galway.

Fuinseog

Ficheall wrote: »

Did they really need to call her "Liz" for such a short article? Would "she" not have sufficed?

they could have chosen a more Irish name.

the article does not state whether or not the alleged culprit was apprehended. if he is still at large this is going to cause problems for the non national drivers as therya re now all suspect.

BTW i notice going over O Briens bridge on the Kellys Supermacs side of the road every taxi driver waiting there is black. is this a black spot?

Ficheall

Fuinseog wrote: »

if he is still at large this is going to cause problems for the non national drivers as therya re now all suspect.

Maybe people will bring enough money for their taxi fare then?

gbee

Fuinseog wrote: »

BTW i notice going over O Briens bridge on the Kellys Supermacs side of the road every taxi driver waiting there is black. is this a black spot?

Maybe we should make a new national thread, similar is reported in the Cork and Limerick forums.

Fionn MacCool

tbh nearly every argument over a taxi fare I've ever seen in Galway has involved some middle class white wanker hurling drunken abuse at a black driver because he didn't want to pay the agreed fare. The girls are often worse for it too.

Just sayin'...

996tt

maybe the student was a typical spoilt drunk abusive teenager after her nagan at her house and got personal with the taxi driver after insisting that she was not going to pay the taxi driver was simply driving her to the guards station like what is common practice for taxi drivers to do before she jumped out and cryed kidnap.

id like to hear both sides

snubbleste

TristanPeter wrote: »

That's not my point. Nor is it to do with his English language skills. I'm just saying that in the Sky news report I watched at no point was his nationality mentioned despite the mentioning of a translator. That's all.

That's because it is a rolling news service. I watched SkyNews (for shame) on Saturday and it mentioned the fact that he was Dutch a number of times.

liabhroidi

Why she's a girl and then a woman?

Common old school journalistic habit to label all women under 30 as girls.
But you would never call a male over 18 a boy, so that's why she is correctly referred to as a woman.

DoesNotCompute

I hope she gets her €50 back

ScumLord

gbee wrote: »

Because his behaviour was not? Just a thought.

I don't see any mention of non human behaviour.

Storm 10

TristanPeter wrote: »

That's not my point. Nor is it to do with his English language skills. I'm just saying that in the Sky news report I watched at no point was his nationality mentioned despite the mentioning of a translator. That's all.

I watched Sky News on Saturday and they reported that he was Dutch in fact every Sky News that I saw up to last night said the same thing, just because they did not mention it on the news you saw means nothing, every one in the UK and here knows he was Dutch since his arrest.

Xiney

I keep hearing that it is common practice to drive a non-paying taxi customer to the gardai station.

Isn't this still considered false imprisonment*?




*I have no idea what the Irish laws surrounding this are like, but these kinds of laws are pretty standard