Gardaí hunt teen who raped woman in her 40s

LIMERICK gardaí were yesterday trying to hunt down a teenage rapist who viciously attacked a woman in her 40s as she walked home.

The attack happened near a major housing estate.

The youth approached the woman and engaged her in conversation before he dragged her into open ground and raped her.

Det Sgt Denis Treacy of Roxboro Road station said the youth walked up to the woman and started to talk to her as they walked along.

On finding out the country she had come from, he convinced her he had friends living there.

As they approached undeveloped open ground near the Ros na Rí estate in Raheen, he grabbed her and forced her into the open area, where he raped her.

Gardaí, who would not give the nationality of the woman, said she is white and from the Southern Hemisphere.

She was on her way home to her residence at around 1.30am on Sunday when the attack happened.

She had been visiting another house in the Raheen area and was walking alone.

Det Sgt Treacy said the attacker spoke with a local accent and was in his late teens.

He was wearing dark clothing at the time.

After raping the woman, the youth ran off.

Det Sgt Treacy said: “We would like to hear from anybody who was in the Ros Na Rí, Ashling Heights or Churchill Meadows area of Raheen at around 1am on Sunday morning and may have seen a woman and a man together or separately.”

The woman was taken to the sexual assault forensic unit in Cork where she received medical treatment.

Det Sgt Treacy said: “This was an opportunistic sexual assault and we have no reason to believe the victim was stalked. It was a situation we believe where he took advantage of this woman’s circumstances, where she was on her own and vulnerable.”

The victim has been living and working in Ireland for some years.

Any information should be given to the crime unit at Roxboro on 061-214342.