Gardaí are this morning continuing to maintain a presence outside a residential unit for former prisoners in Dublin last night following the release yesterday of convicted rapist Larry Murphy.
A crowd of some 200 angry locals assembled outside the unit late last night after rumours spread that Murphy was staying in the centre.
Lisa Cuthbert, director with Prisoner Aid through Community Effort (PACE), which runs Priorswood House in Coolock, said she was informed of the rumours surrounding Murphy at about 6.30 pm last night.
Ms Cuthbert said she informed the crowd that Murphy was not on the premises and was not one of the organisation's clients.
"The difficulty that we had was that we were working against Facebook and mobile phones which was leading to more people gathering outside. We asked the guards to come because we had concerns that this was a situation where the two of us staff members could manage and that it might get out of hand," said Ms Cuthbert, speaking on RTÉ radio.
"We did speak to a delegation and they believed us but unfortunately people did not seem to go and we did require a large Garda presence to manage to keep everything calm."
It is understood the crowd eventually dispersed at around 1am. However, gardaí are continuing to maintain a presence outside the centre.
Murphy was freed yesterday morning after spending 10½ years in prison. Murphy (45) from Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, was sentenced to 15 years for the abduction, rape and attempted murder of a woman in 2000.
Yesterday's release was the focus of media scrutiny with Murphy being followed through the morning traffic by photographers on motorcycles as the Garda helicopter monitored the pursuit.
It is understood gardaí were fearful that if Murphy was followed to and pictured at a particular address, he might be attacked there by members of the public.
Garda sources told The Irish Times last night that Murphy was tracked throughout yesterday and they were satisfied they knew where he was due to stay last night. Because he is a sex offender, he must inform gardaí within the next seven days where he is residing.
Gardaí are not permitted to disclose this information but will use it to monitor him closely. Gardaí have insisted that they are aware of Murphy's location.
"An Garda Síochána’s priority is the safety of the community and our policy is directed towards maximising our ability to protect the community effectively. That is one of the reasons why Gardaí cannot comment on individuals as the disclosure of information may make the management of risk more difficult," a statement from the Garda Press Office said today.
About 60 people from west Wicklow and east Kildare attended a public meeting in Grangecon, Co Wicklow, last night, to express concern at Murphy’s release. The meeting was organised by local Sinn Féin activists who expressed regret that neither the Garda nor a representative of the Rape Crisis Centre were there.