Ireland Case No. 0014Assault and aggravated burglary · Co. Dublin · 31 Mar 2003
Man charged over 2003 rape and aggravated burglary in Kilmacud
On the morning of 31 March 2003, a man posing as a TV technician entered the home of a woman in her 30s in Kilmacud, South Dublin, bound her with plastic ties, and is alleged to have raped her twice while her six-month-old child was in the house. A 68-year-old Irish man based in Dublin, who would have been about 45 at the time, was arrested on 7 October 2026 following a 2023 peer review of the original investigation. He was charged on 8 October 2026 with two counts of rape, one count of false imprisonment and one count of aggravated burglary, and pleaded not guilty at Dublin District Court. Judge Anne Watkin denied his bail application at Dún Laoghaire District Court on 12 October 2026 and remanded him in custody, with a fresh hearing set for 10 November 2026.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrested7 Oct
4 reports - Charged8 Oct
3 reports - In court8 Oct
2 reports - Verdict
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- A man posing as a TV technician showed forged identification from a well-known satellite company to gain entry to the victim's home, then bound her with plastic ties.
- The man is alleged to have raped the woman twice and forced her to take a bath to destroy forensic evidence.
- The victim's six-month-old child was in the house during the assault.
- Where
- The incident took place at a domestic residence in Kilmacud, South Dublin.
- When
- The assault took place on the morning of 31 March 2003.
- The suspect was arrested on 7 October 2026 and charged on 8 October 2026.
- Weapon
- The man threatened the woman with a knife during the assault.
- Investigation
- An extensive Garda investigation in 2003 involved hundreds of investigative jobs and over 100 statements, and a peer review was commenced in 2023 by a fresh team from the DMR East Serious Crime Unit.
- Charges
- The man is charged with two counts of rape, one count of false imprisonment and one count of aggravated burglary.
- In court
- The man pleaded not guilty at Dublin District Court on 8 October 2026 and was remanded to Cloverhill Prison.
- Judge Anne Watkin denied the bail application at Dún Laoghaire District Court on 12 October 2026, with a fresh hearing set for 10 November 2026.
- Other details
- The accused is a 68-year-old Irish man based in Dublin who would have been about 45 at the time of the incident and has no previous criminal record.
112 statements extracted from the articles
- whatA serious assault was committed on a female resident (garda.ie)
- whatThe assault occurred during an aggravated burglary (garda.ie)
- whatA male in his 60s was arrested on 7 October 2026 in connection with the investigation (garda.ie)
- whatA serious assault took place on the female resident during an aggravated burglary of a domestic residence in Kilmacud, South Dublin. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatA man in his 60s was arrested in connection with a serious assault in south Dublin in 2003. (rte.ie)
- whatA woman was assaulted during an aggravated burglary. (rte.ie)
- whatA man in his 60s has been charged in connection with a serious sexual assault on a young mother at her home in Kilmacud, south Dublin. (irishtimes.com)
- whatHe forced his way into the house and bound the woman with plastic ties. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe alleged victim was in her 30s at the time of the incident. (gript.ie)
- whatThe accused is a 68-year-old Irishman based in Dublin (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused posed as a TV technician investigating faults in the area (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe victim was in her 30s at the time of the attack (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused would have been about 45 years old at the time of the attack (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused was dressed in a blue sweatshirt and grey tracksuit bottoms at court (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe incident involved a serious assault on a woman during an aggravated burglary of a domestic residence (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe man posed as a TV technician when he entered the victim's home. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe victim was in her 30s at the time of the incident. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe victim's six-month-old child was in the house during the assault. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe man posed as a TV technician to gain entry to the house. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe man showed forged identification from a well-known satellite company to gain entry. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe man is alleged to have raped the woman. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe man forced the woman to take a bath to destroy forensic evidence. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe man told the woman not to move for at least five minutes after leaving. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe man had cable ties in a plastic bag which he used during the incident. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe man was described as wearing ill-fitting blue-framed glasses that may have been used as a disguise. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe man was arrested on the morning of Wednesday, October 7th. (irishtimes.com)
- whatHe was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act for questioning at a Dublin Garda station. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe incident took place at a domestic residence in Kilmacud, South Dublin (garda.ie)
- whereThe suspect is held at a Garda station in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (garda.ie)
- whereThe incident took place at a house in Kilmacud. (rte.ie)
- whereThe man is being held at a garda station in the Dublin Metropolitan Region. (rte.ie)
- whereThe attack took place in a housing estate in south Dublin (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe burglary and assault took place in Kilmacud, south Dublin (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe incident occurred in a housing estate in south Dublin. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe attack occurred at a house in south Dublin. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe assault took place on the morning of 31 March 2003 (garda.ie)
- whenThe incident happened on the morning of 31 March 2003 at a home in Kilmacud. (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe incident happened on 31 March 2003. (rte.ie)
- whenThe man was arrested on the morning of 7 October 2026. (rte.ie)
- whenThe assault took place on 31 March 2003. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe charges relate to a cold case incident in 2003. (gript.ie)
- whenThe attack occurred on the morning of March 31, 2003 (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe incident occurred on the morning of 31 March 2003 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe man was arrested on Wednesday 7 October 2026 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe attack took place on the morning of 31 March 2003. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe attack took place on the morning of Monday, March 31, 2003. (irishtimes.com)
- weaponHe threatened the woman with a knife during the assault. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationAn extensive Garda investigation was conducted at the time (garda.ie)
- investigationHundreds of investigative jobs were undertaken (garda.ie)
- investigationOver 100 statements were taken (garda.ie)
- investigationThe investigation was kept open by An Garda Síochána (garda.ie)
- investigationA peer review of the investigation was commenced in 2023 (garda.ie)
- investigationThe peer review was conducted by a fresh team attached to the DMR East Serious Crime Unit under a Senior Investigating Officer (garda.ie)
- investigationThe suspect is detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 (garda.ie)
- investigationInvestigations are ongoing (garda.ie)
- investigationAn extensive Garda investigation took place at the time with hundreds of investigative jobs undertaken and over 100 statements taken. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationIn 2023 a peer review of the investigation was commenced by a fresh team attached to the DMR East Serious Crime Unit under a Senior Investigating Officer. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationOn 7 October 2026, investigating Gardaí arrested a male aged in his 60s in connection with the investigation. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationThe male is detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 in a Garda station in the Dublin Metropolitan Region. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationAn extensive investigation took place at the time with hundreds of investigative jobs undertaken and over 100 statements taken. (rte.ie)
- investigationA peer review of the investigation began in 2023 by a fresh team under a senior investigating officer. (rte.ie)
- investigationOver 100 statements were taken during the initial Garda investigation but the suspect was not caught. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí reviewed the case three years ago, leading to a breakthrough. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationA man was arrested by investigating gardaí on Wednesday. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationHe was detained under section four of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 in a Garda station in Dublin. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe man was arrested in the Dublin area earlier that week following Garda investigations. (gript.ie)
- investigationThe accused was arrested in Dublin on Wednesday and detained for questioning before being charged (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe investigation had remained open for more than 23 years (irishtimes.com)
- investigationHundreds of investigative jobs were undertaken and over 100 statements taken in 2003 (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí conducted an extensive investigation over 23 years involving hundreds of investigative jobs and more than 100 statements (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationA peer review of the investigation was commenced in 2023 by a fresh team from the DMR East Serious Crime Unit under a Senior Investigating Officer (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe man is detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 in a Garda station in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationIn 2003, hundreds of investigative jobs were undertaken and over 100 statements were taken. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationMore than 100 statements were taken during the initial investigation. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationA peer review of the original investigation was undertaken in 2023. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí believed the man recorded the 2003 attack and were trying to obtain the video footage. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationVideos allegedly linked to the arrested man depicted home break-ins, rapes and murders. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationAll of the evidence is yet to be tested. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeHe was charged with two counts of rape. (gript.ie)
- chargeHe was charged with one count of false imprisonment. (gript.ie)
- chargeHe was charged with one count of aggravated burglary. (gript.ie)
- chargeHe is charged with two counts of rape (irishtimes.com)
- chargeHe is charged with one count of false imprisonment (irishtimes.com)
- chargeHe is charged with one count of aggravated burglary (irishtimes.com)
- chargeThe man was charged with two counts of rape, one count of false imprisonment and one count of aggravated burglary. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeThe DPP approved charges against the man. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeHe faces two counts of rape, one count of false imprisonment and one count of aggravated burglary. (irishtimes.com)
- courtHe is due to appear at the Criminal Courts of Justice. (irishtimes.com)
- courtA 68-year-old Irish man appeared before Dublin District Court. (gript.ie)
- courtDetective Garda Inspector Trevor Scanlon of the Divisional Protective Services Unit in Dundrum addressed the court. (gript.ie)
- courtJudge Michele Finan presided over the hearing. (gript.ie)
- courtSolicitor Andrew Vallely represented the accused. (gript.ie)
- courtA bail application was reserved until a later date. (gript.ie)
- courtJudge Finan ordered the accused to be produced before Dún Laoghaire District Court. (gript.ie)
- courtHe is to be produced before Dún Laoghaire District Court on Monday morning. (gript.ie)
- courtThe accused appeared before Dublin District Court on Thursday evening (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe accused was remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison, Dublin (irishtimes.com)
- courtHis next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, October 12th in Dún Laoghaire (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe case was heard before Judge Michelle Finan (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe accused cannot be named under court rules covering sexual crime cases (irishtimes.com)
- courtSolicitor Andrew Vallely is representing the accused and is reserving his right to apply for bail (irishtimes.com)
- courtJudge Anne Watkin denied the bail application and remanded the man in Cloverhill District Court. (irishtimes.com)
- courtA fresh hearing is set for 10 November. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe judge described it as one of the most difficult bail applications she had ever considered. (irishtimes.com)
- courtA trial date has not yet been set. (irishtimes.com)
- courtHe appeared before Dublin District Court the day after his arrest and again on Monday, October 12th, for a bail application. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe man is being held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. (rte.ie)
- otherThe accused has no immediate medical needs. (gript.ie)
- otherThe man would have been about 45 at the time of the incident. (irishtimes.com)
- otherWitnesses put the man at the scene on the day of the incident. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe accused had never previously been charged with any crime. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe man was estranged from his wife and had family living overseas. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 27 Oct2026Gardaí investigating 2003 rape in south Dublin believe they have strong evidence against accused
Provides extensive detail on the 2003 attack (forged satellite ID, plastic ties, knife, forced bath), the investigation history (100+ statements, photo-fit, 2023 peer review), the arrest on 7 October 2026, the four charges, and the bail hearing on 12 October 2026 where Det Insp Scanlon revealed gardaí believe the man recorded the attack, have DNA evidence and witnesses, and that videos linked to him depict home break-ins, rapes and murders. Bail was denied by Judge Anne Watkin.
victim, femaleaccused, male - 12 Oct2026Man charged with raping woman in her home while posing as TV technician denied bail
Bail denied by Judge Anne Watkin; accused remanded in Cloverhill District Court; fresh hearing set for 10 November 2026. DNA evidence, witness testimony, and pornographic material on his phone cited as evidence against him.
accused, 68, male, Irish, irishvictim, female - 9 Oct2026Man, 60s, arrested in connection with serious assault on woman in 2003
Reports the arrest of the suspect on 7 October 2026, preceding the charging and bail hearing at Dún Laoghaire District Court on 12 October 2026 recorded in the existing case. Adds detail on the 23-year investigation, the 2023 peer review by DMR East Serious Crime Unit, and the detention under Section 4.
victim, femalesuspect, 60s, male - 8 Oct2026Man (68) suspected of raping woman twice in her south Dublin home in 2003 is charged
Initial report of the charging and first court appearance at Dublin District Court on 8 October 2026; the accused was remanded to Cloverhill Prison pending a bail application at Dún Laoghaire District Court on 12 October 2026.
accused, 68, male, Irish, irishvictim, 30s, female - 8 Oct2026Man (68) charged with two rape counts brought to court - Gript
First court appearance for a 2003 cold case; accused pleaded not guilty to all four charges; bail application reserved; ordered to be produced before Dún Laoghaire District Court.
suspect, 68, male, Irish, irishvictim, female - 8 Oct2026Man charged over 2003 sexual assault of young mother during south Dublin burglary
Reports the initial charging and court appearance on 8 October 2026, providing details of the modus operandi (posing as cable TV technician, binding victim with plastic ties, threatening with a knife), noting the victim's baby was in the house, and describing the extensive investigation with over 100 statements and a case review three years ago that led to the breakthrough.
victim, femaleaccused, 60s, male - 7 Oct2026Man arrested in connection with Dublin assault in 2003
Man in his 60s arrested in connection with 2003 assault during aggravated burglary in Kilmacud. A peer review of the original investigation began in 2023 under a senior investigating officer.
suspect, 60s, malevictim, female - 7 Oct2026Man arrested over serious assault of woman during south Dublin burglary in 2003
Reports the arrest on 7 October 2026 of a man in his 60s, providing details of the original 2003 incident, the extensive investigation at the time, and the 2023 peer review by the DMR East Serious Crime Unit.
suspect, 60s, male - 7 Oct202607/10/2026 Arrest- Serious Assault, Kilmacud, South Dublin- 31st March 2003
Reports the arrest of a male in his 60s on 7 October 2026 and provides details of the long-running investigation, including a 2023 peer review by the DMR East Serious Crime Unit under a Senior Investigating Officer.
victim, femalesuspect, 60s, male
Changed after publication
facts outlets added, removed or correctedirishtimes.com, 28 Oct 2026, 17:48: Gardaí investigating 2003 rape in south Dublin believe they have strong evidence against accused
- CorrectedThe reported death toll in the Spain high-speed train collision rose from at least 39 to at least 68. (was At least 39 dead, now At least 68 killed)