A taxi driver who underwent a terrifying ordeal at the hands of two Co Armagh men has told how "my life was in their hands that night".
Paul Kelly from Dundalk said "not a day goes by" that he doesn't think about the terror inflicted on him by former All-Ireland winning minor footballer Robert Tasker and Antoin McCooey.
Speaking after the pair were convicted of kidnapping, robbing and threatening to kill him, Mr Kelly said his life had been "put on hold" since the events of November 2016 but the guilty verdicts had brought him "massive closure".
It took a jury around three hours at Newry Crown Court on Wednesday to convict Tasker (26) and McCooey (25), with separate addresses at St Patrick's Park, Cullyhanna, on majority verdicts.
The trial had heard that Tasker threatened to slice Mr Kelly's throat and rape him during a 25-minute taxi journey from Dundalk to Cullyhanna.
McCooey also threatened to stab him with a screwdriver.
Mr Kelly, who has since given up his taxi job, told how Tasker initially spoke to him in highly-sexualised language from the back seat before threatening him at knife-point.
The victim told the trial he thought "I was going to die".
The pair also robbed the taxi driver of €120 in takings.
They denied all the charges against them but declined to give evidence in court.
Speaking to The Irish News after the guilty verdicts, Mr Kelly described his relief that the men are finally behind bars.
"I find it is now a massive weight off my shoulders that they have been found guilty," he said.
"Even though they are not going to be sentenced until six weeks' time, I'm so delighted that they are in custody.
"Now I can move on."
The father-of-four said his life has been on hold since his ordeal.
"Not a day goes by that I wasn't thinking about them two boys - two men I should say," he said.
"Every day I had to live with that and try to let on at home that I'm okay, when I wasn't.
"I have young kids at home and I don't want them growing up nervous after what I went through."
Mr Kelly also said he hoped that by coming forward he would encourage others in similar circumstances to do the same.
"I feel like I have saved a lot of people from getting hurt again like I did by these two," he said.
"I've heard stories in Dundalk, a lot of taxi men were attacked and they were too embarrassed to come come forward about it.
"I just hope all the rest of the taxi men hopefully don't be embarrassed.
"I was embarrassed with all this to be honest. It's like a man thing and I hope I am a good example now for the rest of the taxi men in the country.
"I'm a big man, 6ft 2in, but my life was in their hands that night."
Following the guilty verdicts on Wednesday, the court heard how both men had breached their bail conditions on numerous occasions.
It emerged that Tasker was even believed to have driven close to Mr Kelly's home just hours before the victim was due to give evidence on Monday.
Objecting to bail being granted ahead of sentencing on June 18, prosecution barrister Fiona O'Kane said it was her understanding that a distinctive silver car spotted near his Dundalk home on Sunday night was being driven by Tasker.
She added that there was a suggestion the occupants were "asking for the address of the injured party".
Tasker's bail was revoked after he was not found at his house when a bail curfew check was carried out.
Mr Kelly said the sighting of Tasker's car had heightened his fear.
"The wee kids (were) playing in the front garden and these (occupants of the car) going about.
"That's the life we are living in now, but it's massive closure now. I couldn't even begin to describe it."
The Dundalk man added that he had given up his job as a taxi driver following his terrifying experience.
"I stuck it for seven months afterwards, I wasn't going to give in," he said.
"But I couldn't, after seven months I just had to stop it."
However, he said he was "absolutely" glad he had pursued the case against the two men, adding that he will now try to move on with his life.
"We are getting married this year," he said.
"We had plans we couldn't do because of all this, so hopefully we can move on."
