Man accused of teenage girls' abduction denied bail

A Congolese man who is accused of abducting and abusing two teenage girls was today refused bail.

The 46-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, came to the attention of gardaí when the two girls, aged 13 and 14, escaped from his house in Wexford in December 2002 and sought help at the local garda station.

At the Central Criminal Court, Garda Thomas Kennedy of Rosslare garda station said new evidence had come to light.

“There’s been conclusive DNA evidence connecting him to the alleged rape of one of the females,” he said.

The court heard that tests had been carried out on the foetus after the young girl had an abortion in England.

Garda Kennedy said the garda investigation into claims that the man had abducted and defiled the two girls from Zambia had been launched in December 2002.

“The accused left this country shortly afterwards,” he said.

The man was arrested in Zambia in June 2003 and was put on trial for the abduction of the two girls. But he fled the country while on bail and returned to Ireland.

Garda Kennedy said the man had been arrested at Rathfarnham Garda Station in Dublin last April when he called in to collect various items of property he had there, including money.

He told the court that he objected to the 46-year-old being granted bail because the charges were serious; the risk of him absconding was high; and there was a possibility he might intimidate the two girls, who are now living in Zambia.

“I don’t believe he would stay in this jurisdiction. He seems to be able to get documentation. He already handed up a passport in Zambia and then he had another one here,” said Garda Kennedy.

The court heard that the man’s ex-wife, who had been living with him in Wexford, is also facing charges in relation to the incident involving the two girls.

Senior counsel Anthony Sammon, representing the 46-year-old, said he should be released on bail. He said his client was in jail awaiting trial and was in a state of legal limbo.

But Judge Paul Carney said the best evidence to support the objections to bail had been provided by the man himself when he jumped bail in Zambia. He refused bail.

The case is set for mention at the Central Criminal Court on March 27 when a date will be fixed for the trial.