Gardaí believe a man who sexually assaulted two girls aged four and six on Sunday evening was recorded on CCTV footage close to the scene of the attack.
The images are said to be of poor quality, but gardaí are hopeful they can be enhanced before being released publicly in an effort to catch the attacker.
The images were recorded by a security camera installed on a private house in the Cherry Park estate, Swords, Co Dublin, near where the attack took place at about 5pm on Sunday.
The footage shows the man talking to his victims just before the assault.
A woman out walking her dog who saw the man has also contacted gardaí and is assisting their inquiries.
The father of one of the girls, who are both from Cherry Park, told RTÉ Radio 1 that his daughter had been traumatised by the assault.
"We had a bad night with her last night - she was up at four o'clock this morning. She came up crying and basically saying she's having bad dreams about the bold man and saying 'I'm sorry daddy for causing any trouble'. She's starting to blame herself . . . It's devastating to hear from a four-year-old child."
The two girls were approached by a man as they were playing on their bicycles on the street close to their homes just after 5pm.
He engaged them in conversation before taking them to a nearby house where the alleged sexual assault took place.
Gardaí said the assault happened at the side of the property, which is out of sight of passers-by. The house is currently for sale and is unoccupied.
