Gardaí have arrested seven men and a juvenile after a badly injured woman was found held hostage in a Dublin city centre flat. The incident occurred on Thursday evening when gardaí called to the flat in the north inner city to execute a search warrant.
They unexpectedly came across the scene when they were searching for drugs in the area of Bolton Street, Dublin 7, but instead found a woman with a litany of injuries, including burns and suspected broken bones.
Gardaí are trying to establish if the woman was beaten and tortured with heated implements or tools, possibly including a blow torch, inside the flat while being held against her will.
One line of inquiry is that the woman, who was described as vulnerable, was being held hostage and subjected to a beating, and forms of torture, over a drugs debt. She has since been taken to the Mater hospital where she is undergoing treatment.
Donald Trump is changing America in ways that will reverberate long after he is dead
The jawdropper; the quickest split; the good turn: Miriam Lord’s 2024 Political Awards
The mystery is not why we Irish have responded to Israel’s barbarism. It’s why others have not
Enoch Burke released from prison as judge doubles fine for showing up at school
While gardaí have made no comment on the nature of the violence at the centre of the case, they have confirmed an investigation is under way and that eight arrests have been made.
“Gardaí in Bridewell arrested eight males in relation to an investigation into alleged false imprisonment of a female, aged in her 30s, at a property in Bolton Street, Dublin 7, on the evening of Thursday September 26th,” it said in reply to queries.
“The eight males – aged in their 20s, 30s, 50s and one juvenile – are all currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at Garda stations in the Dublin region.”
More to follow ...
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
