Taximan’s lewd comments left female passenger ‘paralysed’ by fear

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – A woman in her 30s told a judge this week how she was left ‘paralysed’ with fear when a taxi driver told her Polish women were sexy and all black men were well endowed.

She said she knew she was in danger when the man asked her if she had alcohol back at her house before turning around in his taxi to tell her he had “a big d..k”.

The driver, 52-year-old father of four Matthew Ibenye, was convicted in Galway District Court under the Public Order Act.

Ibenye’s taxi features branding for the taxi-hailing company Free Now. A spokesperson for that company said yesterday: “The safety of our passengers and drivers is of paramount importance to us at all times, and Free Now only works with Garda-vetted, SPSV-licenced drivers who are regulated by the NTA.”

Under Garda procedures, a report on the matter will be given “as a matter of urgency” to the Chief Superintendent, who has the power to revoke taxi licences.

The mother of one told the court she became nervous at the way the conversation was going and she asked Ibenye to stop at an ATM machine at a 24-hour filling station on the pretext of getting money to pay the fare, so that she could get out of the taxi and look for help.

The Nigerian national denied a charge of engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting words or behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace on July 18 last year.

The thirty-something woman gave evidence she flagged his taxi down outside the Dail bar shortly before 2am after a night out with friends.

On the way to her home in the Salthill area, she asked him if he was from Nigeria as he had a similar accent to a Nigerian friend.

Ibenye told her he was from Ghana, was single and had been living in Ireland for eight years.

He asked her where she was from and she told him she was Polish.

“He told me Polish women were very beautiful and very sexy.  I got a bit paralysed at that and the next thing I heard he was saying that all black men have big d..ks.

“Then, I was like paralysed.  I couldn’t believe my ears and he turned around to me and he said he had a big d..k and I knew I was in danger.”
This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the court report in full, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.