Man (68) suspected of raping woman twice in 2003 posing as TV technician is charged

A man suspected of raping a woman twice in her own home while posing as a TV technician investigating faults in the area more than 20 years ago has been charged and has appeared before court.The accused, a 68-year-old Irishman based in Dublin, was arrested in Dublin on Wednesday and was detained for questioning before being charged and being brought before Dublin District Court on Thursday evening.He is charged with two counts of rape, one court of false imprisonment and one count of aggravated burglary, all arising from an attack on a woman, then in her 30s, in her own home in a housing estate in south Dublin in March 2003. Dressed in a blue sweatshirt and grey tracksuit bottoms, the accused, who cannot be named under court rules covering sexual crime cases, spoke only to say “thank you, judge” at the end of the brief appearance. READ MOREThe accused man was led away by prison officers after being remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison, Dublin, pending his next court appearance next Monday.His arrest followed a Garda investigation into the attack on the morning of March 31st, 2003, during which the victim was sexually attacked in an ordeal that lasted a long time.The State now alleges the man arrested for questioning on Wednesday, and who has now appeared before the courts, was the attacker on the day, though no findings have been reached. The accused would have been aged about 45 years at the time.Gardaí said an extensive investigation took place in 2003, with “hundreds of investigative jobs undertaken and over 100 statements taken”.The investigation had remained open despite the passage of more than 23 years. In 2023, a Garda peer review of the inquiry was initiated by a new investigation team attached to the Garda’s Dublin Metropolitan Region East Serious Crime Unit under a senior investigating officer.The work carried out on the case since then resulted in the suspect’s arrest and court appearance on Thursday before Judge Michelle Finan.Det Insp Trevor Scanlon of the Protective Services Unit based at Dundrum Garda Station in south Dublin told the court sitting when the accused man was charged and caution at 3.50pm, he had replied “not guilty” as each of the four charges was put to him.Solicitor Andrew Vallely, representing the accused man, said his client was reserving his right to apply for bail, with an application expected to be made as early as Monday. A statement of means was also requested linked to the accused’s application for free legal aid.Vallely told the court his client had no specific medical needs that required attention in the prison setting. The accused man was remanded in custody to appear before the courts, in Dún Laoghaire, south Dublin, next Monday, October 12th.