Fears rapist will strike again

Gardaí fear a man may be on the prowl for a new victim, a year after he savagely raped a young mother in her home.

The man, who posed as a television service man and had a fake identify card stating he worked for the NTL cable company, subjected the woman to a terrifying ordeal during which she was tied up, gagged, raped repeatedly and videotaped while her three-month-old baby slept in another room.

Her evil attacker then forced her to take a bath to wash away forensic evidence before tidying himself up and walking coolly out of her front door, asking for a head start of just five minutes to make his getaway before she raised the alarm.