Rapist who fled from North was found in Dublin
Edward Connors, aged 20, who raped an American tourist in Belfast five years ago, was charged at Dublin District Court on Jul 26, 2012, with failing to notify the authorities of his name, address, and date of birth contrary to the Sex Offenders Act 2001.
He had been arrested at Labre Park, in west Dublin, where he had been staying, and a week later he successfully applied for bail when he appeared at Cloverhill District Court.
At that hearing, on Aug 1, 2012, Garda Dave Connolly objected to bail, saying he believed Connors “would be a flight risk” and did “not normally reside in this country”.
The garda had told the court that, “on seeing gardaí he tried to make good his escape”, had no identification documents and a bench warrant had already been issued for his arrest by a court in the North.
However, Judge John Lindsay granted bail with a number of conditions. Connors was ordered to reside at a house in Labre Park; obey a curfew there from 10pm to 7am, sign on twice daily at Ballyfermot Garda Station; and provide confirmation that he had made contact with the PSNI station at Grosvenor Rd, Belfast, within 14 days.
Connors indicated he understood these terms and was released, to appear again at Cloverhill District Court on Aug 29, 2012.
However, he did not show up to his court hearing and a bench warrant was issued.
He was arrested again last month and faced a hearing on Nov 20, after which he was remanded in custody. His case was finalised on Dec 5 when a four-month sentence was imposed.
In 2009, he was jailed for eight years, and was released in 2012 after serving four years, including a year in custody prior to his trial.
