Girl made up claims of sexual assault

GARDAÍ have no intention of pressing charges against a teenage girl who admitted she made up claims that she had been sexually assaulted.

Investigating officers in Galway yesterday said it was an “extremely sensitive” matter and that they were offering whatever help they could to the girl and her family.

“There’s a personal and human tragedy behind it. We don’t want to do anything that would exaggerate the tragedy or that would cause any trauma to the family,” said a Garda source.

Family sources said that a brother of the 15-year-old girl had committed suicide some time ago and that she was extremely upset as a result.

Gardaí and health board staff are offering any assistance they can to the girl and her family.

The girl had originally claimed she was sexually assaulted in the busy Eyre Square in Galway city centre. She said she was grabbed from behind by two men at about 8am while she was walking to school.

The girl said she was taken down a laneway, where she was assaulted. She told gardaí she escaped after she kicked one of the attackers.

The alleged attack followed a sexually assault on a four-year-old boy in Dundalk, Co Louth, a few days previously, as well as the events surrounding the abduction and murder of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in England.

The teenager admitted on Monday that the attack never happened.

Initially it was thought the girl could face charges for wasting Garda resources. But when officers discovered the reasons why the girl might have done what she did, they realised there were serious emotional issues involved.

Gardaí had begun to suspect the story didn’t quite add up following meetings with the girl and on viewing CCTV footage of the area.

Considerable Garda resources were spent in the investigation. However, gardaí are not concerned at this given the circumstances.