A MAJOR showbusiness celebrity is under investigation by gardai after a woman alleged she was raped.

The woman later gave birth to a baby girl.

She has now lodged a formal allegation of rape about the incident, which took place in the 1970s.

Accompanied by her solicitor, the woman walked into a garda station about three weeks ago and made the accusation.

Gardai confirmed last night that they had received a complaint that an alleged sexual assault took place on a female three decades ago, and that an investigation had now been launched.

Officers have since written to the woman who made the complaint and asked her for a DNA report on her child.

The man at the centre of the allegation is a prominent figure in the Irish entertainment world.

A friend of the woman said she had not come forward before now to report the alleged rape because she did not want her child to know what had happened.

She said the woman remembered walking behind the man. He turned around and pushed her over, she alleged.

She also said the woman claimed the man then pulled down her jeans and "next thing he was on top" of her.

She said the woman's sister had also spoken to the gardai to corroborate her story.

Five days after she filed the report with the gardai, the Jimmy Savile scandal erupted.

The woman's daughter had always wanted the man to go to her wedding in Dublin, the friend said.

She said the woman stated that what had happened that night was "still vivid" in her mind and had described herself as a young, naive virgin, who did not know what was happening. The man had "just appeared" 20 minutes before the event ended and she barely knew who he was at the time.

It is expected that initial inquiries will be carried out by local officers but they may later seek advice from the sexual assault investigation unit.

It is understood gardai have not yet formally taken a full statement from the woman or her daughter. Officers are not likely to approach the alleged perpetrator for a statement until further inquiries have been completed.

Irish Independent