Rapist is held after hostage drama and day-long armed siege
A CONVICTED rapist was tasered and arrested after a dramatic day-long armed Garda siege at a house in west Dublin.
The sex offender – who served a lengthy jail term for a horrific rape over a decade ago – had managed to get hold of a gun and an imitation firearm.
Two relatives of the man, who were with him in the house, had reported him being armed.
The incident began at around 9am at St Mark’s Drive in Neilstown, Clondalkin, on Wednesday morning.
Armed officers eventually brought an end to the stand-off after officers used ladders to gain entrance to the house shortly before 1am yesterday, following a siege that lasted 16 hours. They had to use a Taser device as they arrested the man.
Sources say the suspect – who is in his 40s – appears to have been under the influence of drugs, which intensified and lengthened the situation. He remained under arrest last night facing charges of possession of firearms and can be held for up to 72 hours.
His mother and brother were unharmed when they left the house on Wednesday morning,
‘Under influence of drugs’
within a couple of hours of contacting gardaí at Ronanstown by telephone. Dozens of armed gardaí as well as trained hostages negotiators were drafted in to deal with the ‘tinderbox’ situation.
A Garda spokesperson said yesterday: ‘A Taser device was used and the matter has been referred to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC). One individual, male, was involved in this incident and was arrested, and is currently in Garda custody.’
Sources say hostage negotiators had been in phone contact with the suspect regularly during the stand-off.
Senior sources say they are ‘aware’ of rumours that youngsters were spraying graffiti about the man’s criminal past, but added: ‘There is nothing to suggest that is what sparked this incident. The misuse of drugs is believed to be what kicked off this potentially violent situation.’
Locals in the area at the time reacted with shock to the huge armed Garda presence. Many complained that it was difficult to get in and out of the locality to collect children and go about their daily business.
Local resident Linda McGowan, 38, of St Mark’s Gardens, said: ‘I don’t know much, only that there was a man in the house with a gun and the guards have been here since this morning.
‘It is actually sickening that it’s not shocking. Even for the kids, it doesn’t shock them. Back in my day, if there was a shooting, that’d be rare.
‘Now it’s just like, “Ah sure, that’s another one”. My son is hoping to get into the Navy to get away from here. He’s 19. I have twin girls both at UCD. They just want to get away.’
A woman in her 20s, who asked not to be named, said: ‘I can’t get to the hospital and my child has an appointment.’ Another mother complained: ‘This is terrible. My kids are missing counselling sessions. This is a joke.’
The suspect’s mother is believed to be in her 70s while his brother is said to be in his early 40s. Many locals said they knew the suspect from seeing him in the area.
A woman in her 60s said the suspect’s mother suffers from illhealth. ‘She’s not a well woman,’ she said. ‘All she does is walk up and down from the shop and feed the birds… He [the suspect] is probably doing this to annoy everyone. If you met him down an alleyway, you’d know just by looking at him. He wears a balaclava.’
Many other locals complained about an upsurge in criminality in the area.
Some reported that they heard a loud commotion in the house shortly before scores of armed gardaí, including the Emergency Response Unit, responded.
During his 2004 rape trial, the court heard from the man’s victim. She told Judge Paul Carney that having to give evidence to the court had made her relive the experience all over again.