A young woman was beaten with a baseball bat, suffering broken teeth and facial injuries, before being sexually assaulted and dumped on the roadside in the Dublin mountains in a six-hour ordeal.
Gardaí fear the attacker may have killed the 22-year-old had he not been disturbed by early-morning hill-walkers.
The woman required many stitches to her face and remained in hospital last night following the weekend attack.
Garda sources said she had been subjected to a "particularly terrifying" night which they say was one of the worst attacks they have encountered in recent times. They fear the perpetrator may have carried out similar attacks in the past and may strike again.
The victim's ordeal began when she left Copper Face Jack's nightclub alone on Harcourt Street in the south inner city at around 2.20am on Sunday. The woman, who is from the west of Ireland, was celebrating her graduation from college. She had earlier dined with some of her family.
Gardaí say it is not clear how she ended up in her attacker's car. However, once in the car she was driven around for a number of hours in south Dublin and into north Co Wicklow.
The attacker then drove to a secluded spot at the Featherbeds on Military Road, Glencree, Enniskerry, Co Dublin.Having subjected the woman to assaults in the car over the preceding hours, the perpetrator then attempted to sexually assault her.
However, just before 8.30am hill-walkers saw the vehicle, became suspicious and approached the car. The driver sped down the road a short distance. He assaulted the woman again before throwing her out of the car and driving off. The hill-walkers alerted the emergency services.
The woman was taken to Tallaght Hospital where she was treated for her injuries. She has been interviewed by gardaí but is said to be deeply traumatised.
The attacker is described as being aged in his late 20s or early 30s. He has brown hair and is of a stocky build. Gardaí believe he drove a blue saloon car with a Northern Irish or English registration.
Detectives investigating the case are studying CCTV images taken from the area around Harcourt Street early on Sunday in an effort to trace the car.
They have also appealed for any residents or business owners who may have CCTV cameras around the Featherbeds to study the footage taken on Sunday morning.
The investigation is being carried out by gardaí at Shankill. They are contactable at 01-6665912.
