Man in court charged with sexually assaulting 10 year-old girl
- Published
A man has appeared in court in Dublin charged with sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl who was in the care of the Irish Child and Family Agency, Tusla.
The incident is alleged to have happened in the early hours of Monday morning.
A 26-year-old man was charged with sexually assaulting the young girl at Garter Lane, Saggart, Co Dublin, contrary to Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990, as amended by Section 37 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001.
The man cannot be named because of the Republic of Ireland's rules around sexual assault cases.
A garda (Irish police officer) told the court the man accused replied "I have nothing to say" when he was charged.
The accused was granted free legal aid after the court was told he was not working.
He was remanded in custody to appear in court on Wednesday, when there will be a bail application.
A defence solicitor requested an Arabic interpreter.
In a statement, Tusla said its priority now is to support the young girl and her family and to liaise with Gardaí (Irish police).
Tusla is the dedicated Irish State agency responsible for child protection, early intervention, and family support services.
Gardaí have appealed to the public for help and investigators would like to speak to anyone who was in the City West Drive, Garter Lane, City West Luas stop, or Saggart Luas stop areas between 11:00 (local time) on Sunday and 01:30 on Monday.