The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre says it has to trust gardaí to investigate cases properly.
It follows revelations the suspect arrested in connection with the rape of a Spanish teenager in Dublin was on bail at the time of the alleged assault.
The 18-year-old student told gardaí she met the man in Dublin’s city centre over the weekend.
He persuaded her to go on the Sandymount Strand area.
Crime Editor with the Sun, Stephen Breen outlines what happened next:
“This young man dragged her into a tent, tied her up and subjected her to a horrific rape ordeal,” he said.
“Now this happened over the course of 24 hours – at least five or six times she was subjected to a sexual assault of some nature.”
The 24 year old suspect was questioned, released without charge and a file is being sent to the DPP.
But questions are being raised about his release - given that he was on bail at the time of the alleged assault and before the courts for a different offence.
Solicitor Dara Robinson says there could be a reason why the suspect hasn’t been charged yet.
“In light of the expressions of outrage in the mass-media; the DPP, the forensic science laboratory and the gardaí will be getting skids under themselves to make a decision about it,” he said.
“But if the quality of the evidence as it is currently constituted is not sufficient to bring a charge that is going to stick, the DPP is perfectly within their rights – and perfectly correct in my opinion – not to charge just yet.”
Noeline Blackwell from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre says gardaí have to be trusted to investigate cases properly.
“We have to believe that the gardaí will protect as far as they can people from sexual violence but we cannot tell the gardaí how to do their job,” she said.
She says this case is horrific but rare.
“Only a minority of cases occur in circumstances like this,” she said. “For the most part, victims and perpetrators of sexual violence know each other.”
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre says anyone affected by the case can contact them on 1800 77 88 88.
