Gardaí probe if victim of alleged sex attack was targeted by people she knew after dispute

Two suspects remain in garda custody in relation to the incident which happened near a Luas stop in south Dublin in the early hours of this morning.

Emergency services were alerted to reports of a woman being sexually assaulted by two people near the Drimnagh Luas stop at around 2am.

Sources said that the victim was pinned down and held against her will during the incident.

The suspects then fled the scene but were apprehended a short time later by gardaí.

A woman, aged in her 40s, and a man aged in his 30s were arrested and are currently being held at Crumlin garda station on suspicion of carrying out the sexual assault.

The victim was brought to a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) in the capital to receive specialist treatment for her injuries.

The scene remains sealed-off and this morning gardaí could be seen taking items including what appeared to be clothing from the area.

Gardaí believe the victim and two suspects are known to each other and are probing if the attack was carried out following a row.

“This was a very serious incident and gardaí are continuing to gather evidence including witness statements and CCTV footage as part of their inquiries,” a source told Independent.ie.

“The victim is also receiving specialist treatment and is being supported. At this stage it’s being investigated if there was a disagreement which led to this.”

A number of people who were in the area at the time are understood to have witnessed the incident while it may also have been recorded on camera footage.

Several items have since been seized for forensic and technical examination as part of the garda inquiry.

The male and female suspects remain in garda custody under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act and can be detained for up to 24 hours.

They must then either be charged or released from custody pending a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The incident led to the closure of the platform at the Drimnagh stop on the Red Line inbound Luas service this morning for a number of hours.

However the Drimnagh platform was reopened to passengers at around 10 am.

In a statement gardaí said they “are investigating an alleged assault which occurred in the early hours of this morning, Thursday, 26th January 2023 in Drimnagh, Dublin 12.

“A woman (40s) and a man (30s) have been arrested in connection with this incident. They are both currently detained at Crumlin Garda Station”.