The man sought by gardai in connection with the reported rape of a now-pregnant 13-year-old west Dublin girl is also wanted by the RUC in connection with the alleged rape two weeks ago of a woman in her 50s in Belfast. The suspect is said to have gone on the run to Northern Ireland after gardai in Ronanstown began inquiries in west Dublin some weeks ago into the alleged rape of the girl, who is now the centre of the latest abortion/travel controversy.
Gardai believe the man raped the young girl in a van after giving her a lift home in west Dublin after she baby-sat his children.
According to sources in Belfast, the suspect appeared at the travellers' camp on the Glen Road on the western outskirts of Belfast on the weekend before last. Locals said he appeared to have been drinking heavily.
It is understood the RUC is investigating a complaint that during the night of Saturday, November 8th, he forced his way into a small amenity centre where a couple, both in their 50s, were sleeping. It is understood the man attacked the woman's husband, who is semi-invalid, partially sighted and in bad health, and beat him severely. It is alleged he then attacked and raped the woman in front of her husband.
According to locals, the suspect's family had connections with the west Belfast site, known as Glen Heights, a long-established travellers' encampment on the side of the Black Mountain. It is believed the suspect went there to hide from the Garda.
It is also alleged that last Sunday, a week after the alleged rape and assaults occurred, the suspect reappeared at the site with another member of his family and proceeded to offer bribes and then threatened people on the site not to give information to the RUC.
According to locals, several families on the west Belfast site are living in fear as the suspect and his family have a considerable reputation for violence.
Gardai believe members of the suspect's family may have been responsible for an attack on caravans owned by the family of the 13-year-old girl in west Dublin. The caravans were extensively damaged, with their windows broken and furniture smashed.
The father of the teenage girl also appears to have been injured but is making no comment about any assault or intimidation. No explanation, in fact, has been put forward for the damage done to the family's home.
According to a source in the travelling community, the suspect is a large man in his mid-20s with a young family. It is reported that since gardai began looking for him, he has dyed his hair and grown a beard. However, he is said to be distinctive in appearance and weighs between 16 and 18 stone. i in Dublin yesterday agreed that many members of the travelling community would be afraid to give any information about the suspect or his family. The suspect belongs to an extended family with connections in the midlands, west Dublin and the Border area. Some are suspected by gardai of being involved in the organised theft of antiques and property from country houses. Garda sources say some members are extremely wealthy.
Members of the family were also central in some of the pitched battles involving male travellers in the past year. Some of these have led to deaths.