GARDAI SET TO QUESTION FRIENDS OF SPORTS STAR IN RAPE CASE

Arrest after woman made statement of complaint

GARDAÍ investigating the alleged rape of a woman by an Irish sports star are widening the inquiry. They are now seeking to speak to friends of the well-known figure who were with him on the night of the alleged attack. He presented himself at Dundrum Garda Station by appointment on Thursday evening, where he was questioned for several hours before being released without charge yesterday morning.

The arrest had followed a statement

of complaint, made in recent weeks by the young woman, who claims she was raped by the sports star in a penthouse suite at a south Dublin hotel, on December 10. A file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

It is understood gardaí are seeking statements from friends of the young woman about her interaction with the sports star on the night. Detectives are also attempting to speak to friends of the sportsman, who were elsewhere in the penthouse suite.

No other person is believed to have witnessed the alleged rape. The young woman sustained some bruising and told gardaí she was physically assaulted by the sports star. She was taken to hospital by ambulance and later examined at a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit.

The suspect was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 on Thursday evening, before being released yesterday morning.

A Garda spokeswoman said: ‘Gardaí in Dundrum, investigating an alleged sexual assault, reported on Monday, December 10, 2018, arrested a man on Thursday, January 17, 2019.’

It is understood that the sports star and the young woman are known to one another.

The morning after the alleged attack, gardaí went to the woman’s home, after receiving a phone call from another person in the house.

When gardaí arrived, the woman, who is in her 20s, was visibly battered and distraught. Gardaí made the decision to call an ambulance, which took her to a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit for an immediate assessment.

Detectives are now preparing all the details of the incident, in a report that will be sent to the DPP.

This will include statements from the woman and her alleged attacker about the incident, along with medical reports, witness statements and CCTV.

The DPP will then decide whether there is enough evidence to charge the sports star.