Ireland Man remanded in custody over sexual assault of girl in Dublin
A 26-year-old man, who cannot be named, was charged with the sexual assault of a 10-year-old Irish girl in the care of Tusla, allegedly committed in the early hours of Monday 20 October 2025 at Garter Lane, Saggart, in south Dublin. The man, who arrived in Ireland six years ago and has been subject to a deportation order since March 2025, was arrested at 3.58am at Clondalkin Garda Station and charged under the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990. He appeared at Blanchardstown District Court on 21 October and was remanded in custody, then appeared by videolink at Cloverhill District Court on 22 October, where the defence deferred any bail application and the judge ordered a fitness-to-be-tried report and medical and psychiatric assessments. He is remanded in custody to appear again at Cloverhill District Court on 5 November 2025.
- Reported21 Oct
2 reports - Arrested20 Oct
4 reports - Charged21 Oct
- In court21 Oct
3 reports - Verdict
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Gardaí are investigating an alleged sexual assault (described in reports as rape, indecent assault, or assault) on a 10-year-old Irish girl.
- Where
- The alleged incident took place at Garter Lane, Saggart, in south Dublin, on the grounds of the Citywest Hotel.
- When
- The alleged assault occurred in the early hours of Monday 20 October 2025.
- Investigation
- A man, reported as 26 in some accounts and in his 30s in others, was arrested at 3.58am at Clondalkin Garda Station and detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984; CCTV was gathered and two locations near the Citywest complex were sealed off for forensic examination.
- Charges
- The man was charged under Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990, as amended by Section 37 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001.
- In court
- The accused appeared at Blanchardstown District Court on 21 October 2025 and by videolink at Cloverhill District Court on 22 October 2025, where no bail application was made and the defence reserved the right to apply later.
- Sentence
- The judge remanded the accused in custody to appear again at Cloverhill District Court on 5 November 2025.
- Other details
- The 10-year-old girl was in the care of Tusla, was reported missing before returning to make the allegation, and received medical attention.
- The accused, who cannot be named due to the nature of the charges and the age of the victim, arrived in Ireland six years ago, failed his international protection application in 2024, and has been subject to a deportation order since March 2025.
- The judge ordered a fitness-to-be-tried report and directed medical and psychiatric assessments of the accused, who spoke through an Arabic interpreter.
75 statements extracted from the articles
- whatGardaí are investigating an alleged indecent assault on a child in south county Dublin. (rte.ie)
- whatGardaí are investigating an alleged assault on an underage female. (gript.ie)
- whatGardaí arrested a man over an alleged sexual assault of a child. (extra.ie)
- whatGardaí are investigating an alleged rape of a ten-year-old girl. (gript.ie)
- whatThe article reports the alleged rape of a 10-year-old girl. (gript.ie)
- whatA 26-year-old man was charged in connection with the sexual assault of a ten-year-old girl. (rte.ie)
- whatA girl was allegedly assaulted. (extra.ie)
- whatA 26-year-old man has been charged in connection with the sexual assault of a ten-year-old girl. (rte.ie)
- whereThe alleged attack took place in Saggart. (rte.ie)
- whereThe alleged assault is in the area of the Citywest asylum hub in Dublin. (gript.ie)
- whereThe alleged incident took place in Dublin. (extra.ie)
- whereThe alleged incident occurred on the grounds of the Citywest Hotel, not inside the building. (gript.ie)
- whereThe alleged incident happened at Citywest. (gript.ie)
- whereThe assault happened at Garter Lane, Saggart, Co Dublin. (rte.ie)
- whereThe alleged assault took place in Dublin. (extra.ie)
- whereThe alleged assault took place in west Dublin. (thejournal.ie)
- whereThe alleged assault took place at Garter Lane, Saggart. (thejournal.ie)
- whereThe sexual assault took place in Dublin. (rte.ie)
- whenThe alleged attack took place on the day before the article was published. (rte.ie)
- whenThe alleged assault is reported to have occurred on Monday, 20 October 2025. (gript.ie)
- whenThe incident was reported to have occurred on Monday 20 October 2025. (gript.ie)
- whenThe assault happened in the early hours of the day before the article was published. (rte.ie)
- whenThe alleged assault happened earlier this week. (thejournal.ie)
- whenThe sexual assault happened in the early hours of a Monday morning. (rte.ie)
- investigationHe is detained at a Dublin garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act and can be questioned for up to 24 hours. (rte.ie)
- investigationGardaí have not yet established the facts of the alleged incident. (rte.ie)
- investigationSpecialist child interviewers are being engaged to speak to the child. (rte.ie)
- investigationCCTV has been gathered in the area and from the nearby Luas stop. (rte.ie)
- investigationTwo locations near the Citywest complex were sealed off for forensic examination, and the cordons have since been lifted. (rte.ie)
- investigationA man in his thirties has been arrested. (gript.ie)
- investigationA male in his 30s is detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda station in the Dublin region. (gript.ie)
- investigationInvestigations are ongoing. (gript.ie)
- investigationGardaí are investigating how the alleged victim came to be on the hotel grounds. (gript.ie)
- investigationA man in his twenties was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda station in the Dublin region. (gript.ie)
- investigationA later Garda statement said a male in his 30s had been arrested and was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. (gript.ie)
- investigationGardaí appealed for witnesses who were in specified Saggart and Citywest areas between 11pm on Sunday 19 October and 1:30am on Monday 20 October 2025. (gript.ie)
- investigationThe girl reported the assault and gardaí started a criminal investigation. (rte.ie)
- investigationGardaí in Clondalkin appealed for witnesses and anyone with information. (rte.ie)
- investigationThe judge asked for a short report on fitness to be tried. (thejournal.ie)
- chargeThe man was charged under Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990, as amended by Section 37 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001. (rte.ie)
- chargeA man has been charged with sexual assault of a girl. (extra.ie)
- chargeThe accused was charged with assaulting the girl. (thejournal.ie)
- courtHe was brought before Blanchardstown District Court. (rte.ie)
- courtNo bail application was made at the first hearing. (rte.ie)
- courtA bail application was to be made at Cloverhill District Court the next day. (rte.ie)
- courtThe man was granted free legal aid. (rte.ie)
- courtThe accused appeared before Judge Alan Mitchell at Cloverhill District Court by videolink. (thejournal.ie)
- courtThe solicitor confirmed no bail application would be made that day. (thejournal.ie)
- courtThe accused was remanded in custody to appear again on 5 November. (thejournal.ie)
- courtThe defence solicitor said there would be no bail application that day. (rte.ie)
- courtThe defence reserved the right to apply for bail at a later date. (rte.ie)
- courtThe judge said 48 hours' notice must be given before any bail application. (rte.ie)
- courtThe accused appeared by videolink at Cloverhill District Court. (rte.ie)
- courtThe judge granted an application for a report on the accused's fitness to be tried. (rte.ie)
- courtThe accused was remanded in custody. (rte.ie)
- courtThe accused is due to appear again by videolink at Cloverhill District Court on 5 November. (rte.ie)
- sentenceThe judge remanded the man in custody to Cloverhill District Court the next morning. (rte.ie)
- otherThe girl was in the care of Tusla and was reported missing before she returned and made the allegation. (rte.ie)
- otherA man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of indecently assaulting the child. (rte.ie)
- otherThe child received medical attention. (rte.ie)
- otherThe girl is believed to be in the care of Tusla but was not being housed at the hotel. (gript.ie)
- otherThe suspect arrived in Ireland six years ago and failed in his application for international protection in 2024. (gript.ie)
- otherThe suspect has been subject to a deportation order since March 2025. (gript.ie)
- otherThe girl was in Tusla care at the time. (gript.ie)
- otherBen Scallan questions whether the response will be another 'lessons will be learned' situation. (gript.ie)
- otherThe girl was in the care of Tusla. (rte.ie)
- otherThe man was arrested at 3.58am at Clondalkin Garda Station. (rte.ie)
- otherWhen charged, the man said he had nothing to say. (rte.ie)
- otherThe defence asked that the man be produced in person and that an Arabic interpreter be provided. (rte.ie)
- otherThe judge recommended that the accused be medically and psychiatrically assessed. (thejournal.ie)
- otherThe judge noted a heightened level of security at the court. (thejournal.ie)
- otherThe judge directed medical and psychiatric assessments of the accused and offered appropriate treatment. (rte.ie)
- otherThe accused cannot be identified because of the nature of the charges and the age of the victim. (rte.ie)
- otherThe accused spoke through an interpreter. (rte.ie)
- otherDetective Sergeant Sinéad Connolly of Clondalkin Garda Station confirmed that heightened garda presence outside the court would continue for future appearances. (rte.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 22 Oct2025Man on sexual assault charge defers bail application
Charged and remanded in custody at Cloverhill District Court; the defence deferred bail, and a fitness-to-be-tried report and psychiatric assessments were ordered. The article says the incident happened on the early hours of Monday morning but does not give the date. The accused cannot be identified.
accused, 26, malevictim, 10, female - 22 Oct2025Man accused of sexually assaulting young girl near Citywest further remanded in custody
First report of the case. Covers the charge, remand in custody and the court hearing on 22 October 2025, with no bail application at that stage.
victim, femaleaccused, 26, male - 21 Oct2025‘Failure’ in care of girl allegedly assaulted in Dublin, Taoiseach says
Only the headline is usable. The article body is website template code with no details of the assault, the girl, the investigation or any arrest or charge.
victim, female - 21 Oct2025'I have nothing to say' - Man charged with sexual assault of Dublin girl
Only the headline is available. The article text is an unrendered search-template fragment with no body, summary, date or other details.
accused, malevictim, female - 21 Oct2025Man charged in connection with sexual assault of girl
Reports the charge and first court appearance of a 26-year-old man over the sexual assault of a ten-year-old girl in Saggart, including the Blanchardstown court hearing, remand in custody, bail hearing date, and a garda appeal for witnesses.
accused, 26, malevictim, 10, female - 21 Oct202510-year-old girl allegedly assaulted at Citywest - Gript
Gript video piece in which Ben Scallan questions Simon Harris's response to the alleged rape at Citywest. It gives no date for the incident and no charge or arrest.
victim, 10, femalesuspect - 20 Oct2025Girl (10) allegedly raped in Citywest by asylum seeker - Gript
First report of the alleged rape of a ten-year-old girl at Citywest. Adds the Garda appeal for witnesses, the suspect's immigration history, and a later statement that the detained man is in his 30s. The article gives his age inconsistently (twenties, then 30s).
victim, 10, female, Irish, irishsuspect, male - 20 Oct2025Gardaí arrest man after alleged sexual assault of child in Dublin
Only the headline is present. The article text is an unfilled template with no body, so no other details can be recorded.
suspect, malevictim - 20 Oct2025Gardaí investigating "assault" of juvenile in Citywest - Gript
Gript reports the alleged incident as an assault rather than the rape described in the existing case, and gives a Garda spokesperson's statement. Adds the Garda wording for the victim (female juvenile), the location (Saggart), that investigations are ongoing, and that the arrest is under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.
victim, femalesuspect, 30s, male - 20 Oct2025Probe over alleged indecent assault on child in Dublin
Follow-up to the Citywest/Saggart case. This article describes the alleged offence as indecent assault and the arrested man as in his 20s, while the existing record says alleged rape and a man in his 30s. It adds that the child was in Tusla care, was reported missing, then returned and made the allegation, and that CCTV was gathered and the child received medical attention.
victim, femalesuspect, 20s, male