It is extremely disturbing that the Garda authorities knew over a year ago that the man convicted in the X case was driving a taxi in Dublin, that he was allowed to keep his licence and that the matter would never have come to the attention of the public had there not been an allegation that he had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old passenger. It is not the allegation which generates the deep sense of public dismay - he has not been charged with any new offence or convicted of anything in relation to the allegation and is entitled to be regarded as innocent. He has served his sentence for his abuse of the girl in the X case. We can only hope that his victim is not still serving her sentence in terms of mental pain for the anguish he inflicted on her. What is alarming is that the i Garda saw it as appropriate to allow this man to keep his licence for a job which involves frequent contact with children travelling on their own.
Taxis are used daily by health boards to bring children in care to and from the various therapeutic and other services they require. The children are accompanied by child care workers or other persons who, in some health board areas at least, have been vetted and cleared by the i.Garda. But any taxi driver who does this sort of work frequently will become familiar the names of children in care, where they live, perhaps an inkling of their various likes and dislikes. How in the name of common sense was it acceptable to continue to provide a licence to a man with a conviction for sexually abusing a child?
Consider another daily scenario: how many of us, returning home after a night out, have paid a taxi driver to bring a young baby sitter back to her home? How would we feel about doing this if we knew the taxi driver had a conviction for child abuse? Would we be comforted by the knowledge that, as yesterday's Garda statement said, the man had not come to the notice of Gardai "for any road offence", that his psychological reports "had been favourable" and that he had a constitutional right to earn a living? The average citizen would not and should not take any comfort from the Garda statement. Neither will the overwhelming majority of taxi drivers find these reasons convincing. They are, as they know, in a position of trust - how can they feel anything other than let down by the fact that this man could continue to be one of their number?
New vetting procedures have now been introduced - but a Garda spokesman says a change in the law may be required to prevent convicted sex abusers being licensed to drive taxis. If that is so, it must be done speedily. It is imperative that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform push this to the top of the agenda and act promptly. We also need a register of sex offenders to prevent people with sex convictions from finding work in areas involving contact with children, including work as taxi drivers. Such a register has been promised by the Minister for the end of this year. It is past time to put it in place. Otherwise, the Government's protestations about its desire to protect children will ring hollow - and so too will the aspirations in the child abuse guidelines which, by coincidence, are being published this morning.