A 37-year-old man has been charged with raping and threatening to kill a young woman at knife-point after finding her somewhere to live in Dublin.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Judge Bryan Smyth at Dublin District Court on multiple charges.
He is accused of two counts of rape, oral rape, assault causing her harm, two charges of threatening to kill the woman and her flatmate, and production of a knife as a weapon at a flat in north inner city Dublin last week.
Bail was set in his own bond of €500, but he also needs an €8,000 independent surety.
Objecting to bail, Garda Pauline Treanor told the court it was alleged the woman, who is in her early 20s, and another man were staying in a flat. The accused had provided them with accommodation in the city after their arrival in Ireland a few weeks ago.
The accused, also a foreign national, had a wife and children at another house but stayed at the flat occasionally.
Garda Treanor said it was alleged the accused arrived with a naggin of whiskey, and she felt obliged to let him stay. He propositioned her, but she rejected his advances, it was alleged.
Knife
The garda said the man allegedly went to his car but returned and produced a knife. The court heard it was claimed he demanded she undress and “threatened to kill her if she did not sleep with him”.
The contested bail hearing was told he allegedly forced her to perform oral sex. The garda said the woman was punched in the face and feared she would lose her life.
It was alleged he then raped her and afterwards she went the shower and sent a text to her flatmate saying “come quickly” and telling him she had just been raped.
She hid the phone but was pulled back into the bedroom and allegedly raped again, the court was told.
It was alleged she had told him “I don’t want to do this” but he replied, “you are mine”. The court was told he then made her come with him in his car. Her flatmate contacted him by phone asking about her safety, but he refused to say where she was, it was alleged. The flatmate also told the accused he would call gardai if the woman was not returned.
The court heard it would be claimed the accused told the woman he was going to kill her flatmate for getting involved.
Garda Treanor said the accused brought the woman to his mother’s house and told her not to call the police. The woman ran to a local shop and sought assistance. Gardaí brought her to a sexual assault treatment unit.
The accused returned to the scene and chased her flatmate to a shop where security staff intervened.
The accused denied raping the woman and told gardai intercourse was instigated by the woman. A knife was seized from him on arrest, the court heard.
Bail
Pleading for bail, defence solicitor Michael Kelleher said his client denies the charges and claims the allegation has been made vindictively. The complainant had no ties to the country and arrived within the past month, having travelling to different jurisdiction with a criminal group of people who had travelled throughout Europe, he submitted.
A refusal of bail could see his client, who maintains sex was consensual, remain in custody on remand for three years pending his trial, the solicitor said. The man had an address and family in Dublin and there was no evidence he was a flight risk, he argued.
Judge Smyth said that fight risk increased given the seriousness of the charges, but he granted conditional bail. Once taken up, the man must surrender his identity documents, sign on daily at a Garda station in central Dublin, reside at his current address, stay sober, and have no contact with witnesses.
He cannot apply for a new passport. Legal aid was granted to the unemployed man. He was remanded in custody with consent to bail to appear again later this week.
