Eastern European man arrested in rape probe

AN eastern European man was arrested last night after the alleged rape of a young woman in a car park in Cork city centre.

The man, believed to be in his mid-20s, was arrested in a city centre apartment following a Garda operation.

He was arrested around 7.45pm and taken to the Bridewell Garda Station.

The man was being detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. He can be held without charge for up to 24 hours.

The arrest came just hours after gardaí made an appeal for information on RTÉ’s Crimeline programme.

However, it is understood they were already following a very definite line of inquiry even before the programme was aired.

The investigation centred on the vicious rape of a 21-year-old woman. She was attacked in the car park of the Department of Social Welfare offices at Clarke’s Bridge, off Washington Street, just before 4am on Sunday, March 9.

She was on her way home at the time the attacker struck. The victim was said to have been badly beaten around the head and chest before being raped.

Despite her injuries, she was able to alert a passer-by and gardaí quickly arrived.

She was taken to the South Infirmary/Victoria University hospital for medical treatment and released a short time later.

“We spent hundreds of man-hours so far on this investigation, carrying out door-to-door enquiries, and looking at CCTV footage.” said a senior Garda spokesman last night.

Meanwhile, a file is being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions in connection with an alleged serious sexual assault in a Co Cork town on Easter Monday.

A man arrested in connection with the alleged assault in Fermoy has been released from custody.

Officers said they will await the decision of the DPP on whether or not to bring charges. Gardaí are not looking for any one else in relation to the assault.

The woman, aged in her early 20s, was on her way home from a night out in the early hours of Monday when she claimed she was attacked by a man.

She made a formal complaint to gardaí and was taken to the sexual assault treatment unit at the South Infirmary/Victoria University Hospital in Cork city.

A man in his mid-30s, was arrested in the Fermoy area on Tuesday and detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.