A French tourist in her 20s, who believed she had hailed a minibus taxi, was brutally sexually assaulted near Cork airport early yesterday morning.
It is understood she was not raped, but was threatened with a screwdriver and forced to remove her clothes in a field near the airport by the driver of the minibus who beat her and robbed her.
After the sexual assault the woman was forced to sit in the back of the minibus with her coat covering her head as the man drove her back towards the airport and ordered her out of the vehicle near the roundabout at the entrance to the airport.
Gardai have not named the French woman.
She was due to catch a 5.50 a.m. flight to Paris and is understood to have telephoned a car company.
She was in the vicinity of Lancaster Quay near the Western Road when the minibus, with a 90 Louth registration pulled up. The minibus was found burnt out at Deanrock Villas at 7.40 a.m. Gardai said it was stolen from the Old Youghal Road area, on Wednesday. Anyone with information should contact the Togher Garda station at (021) 4962611 or any Garda station.