A NUMBER of women have contacted gardai about a man who attempted to lure them into a ground-floor flat in the same area of Dublin where a young girl with special needs was raped last week.

Gardai have identified a suspect, believed to be a Pakistani national aged in his late 20s or early 30s, who is suspected of dragging the young woman off the street and raping her last Wednesday.

The young woman, who has Down Syndrome, was held prisoner for an hour and raped after being lured or dragged off a residential street near the Camden Street end of the South Circular Road.

Gardai have appealed to anyone who was in the South Circular Road end of the Portobello area – particularly around Lennox Street, Synge Street and Harrington Street – at the time to contact them.

The victim, who is in her 20s, had been out walking and jogging with her mother but they became separated at around 4pm last Wednesday. She knows the area and when she failed to return home, her mother raised the alarm.

Gardai issued a description of the girl, who was dressed in a black cardigan, beige top, black knee-length leggings and white runners. She is 4ft 10ins and with shoulder-length brown hair.

They described the suspect as "dark-skinned" and of medium height and build.

It is understood gardai have identified a suspect but are awaiting results from forensic tests before making an arrest. The man is under surveillance.

After news of the rape broke, a number of women came forward to say they had been accosted by a man fitting the description of the rapist and that he had asked them to come into his flat.

The victim was treated in the Rotunda Hospital and is back with her family.

Irish Independent