A 42-YEAR-OLD unemployed man was brought before a special sitting of Athlone District Court yesterday in connection with the attempted abduction of a teenage girl in Co Offaly last week.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with the attempted false imprisonment of a minor at Moyclare, near Ferbane, on the evening of July 19th.
The charge arises from an incident in which a 13-year-old girl who was cycling to her friend’s house on a quiet rural road reported being grabbed by a man who tried to force her into the back of a van.
The alarm was raised when the girl escaped to a neighbour’s house.
Birr-based Garda Det Sgt Kieron Hanley said the man was arrested at 3.23am on Thursday in Tramore, Co Waterford.
He was taken to Tullamore Garda station, where he was charged with “attempted false imprisonment” at 2.40pm yesterday.
The defendant made no reply when charged with the offence.
Garda Supt David Kavanagh applied to have the defendant remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison, Clondalkin, Dublin to appear before Cloverhill District Court next Wednesday.
He also sought an order preventing the publication of the victim’s name.
When asked whether a court had been selected for any upcoming trial, Supt Kavanagh said the Director of Public Prosecutions had not yet given any directions in relation to the proposed trial venue.
Solicitor Patrick Martin told the court there “was no objection to the application for bail at this stage”.
He requested a psychiatric assessment, legal aid and asked for a prohibition on the naming of his client.
On hearing the defendant was unemployed and in receipt of disability benefit, Judge Séamus Hughes granted legal aid.
He also directed that medical and psychiatric treatment be afforded to the accused while in custody.
While the judge described the Irish media as “in the main” responsible, he consented to the prohibition request.
“I so order that the name of the victim and the accused not be published until further order.”
The defendant entered court with a coat over his head.
He kept his head down during the hearing, occasionally looking around the court.