A BRAZILIAN woman has been charged with making a false statement to gardai that she was seriously sexually assaulted on a Dublin street.

Regina Thais de Oliveira (20) is charged with making a false report to officers that she was attacked by three men after being dragged down a laneway as she walked to work.

Judge James Faughnan deferred a decision on whether to grant her bail and remanded her in custody for five days.

Ms Oliveira, a student with an address at Cabra Park, appeared in Dublin District Court charged with making a false statement at Mountjoy Garda Station on August 28 last.

She allegedly told gardai she was assaulted by three men at Cabra Park on August 24.

Gardai began a search for the alleged culprits and issued a public appeal for information in the following days.

When her case was called, Judge Faughnan noted that she was not legally represented.

He said she would need a solicitor and asked her to nominate one.

She pointed to Peter Keatings solicitor, who then verified through a Portuguese interpreter that she had nominated him to take her case.

Detective Garda Kevin Keys said he arrested the accused at Cabra Park at 10am this morning. She was brought to Mountjoy Garda Station, where she was charged at 3.58pm.

She made no reply after caution and was handed a copy of the charge sheet.

Objecting to bail, Det Gda Keys said he feared the accused would leave the country as she had no ties to Ireland.

She had been due to return to Brazil next January but changed her flight in the last couple of days to 6pm today.

It was a serious charge carrying a potential prison term on conviction on indictment of up to five years.

Questioned by Mr Keatings, Det Gda Keys confirmed that he had the accused’s passport and that she had told him that while she did not intend returning to Ireland, she was happy to come back if the gardai required her to.

Mr Keatings said the accused could not leave without her passport and would agree not to apply for a new one.

She had an address in Dublin where she had been living with three other people including her Brazilian boyfriend.

“It is a real relationship, she says, and that is a tie (to the country),” he said.

Mr Keatings said his client enjoyed a presumption of innocence. She had no money to offer the court as bail.

“She is before the court for an offence of basically telling the gardai something that did not happen and for those reasons I do not accept anything that she will say,” Det Gda Keys said.

Judge Faughnan said he was not minded to grant bail did not make an order refusing it. He deferred a decision until September 10 and remanded her in custody to appear in Cloverhill District Court.

Mr Keatings said he “may have other matters to put before the court” on the next date.

Ms de Oliveira, wearing a light brown leather jacket, blue t-shirt and red jeans broke down in tears as she was remanded in custody.

Under the legislation, anyone found guilty of knowingly making a false report or statement tending to show that an offence has been committed, or tending to show that the person has information material to garda enquiries can be fined and/or sentenced to up to a year in the district court, or five years in the circuit court.

Online Editors