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Man due in court was questioned about ‘following woman’ before alleged Dublin stab attack

The man, aged in his 30s, was also questioned by detectives about the attempted abduction of a child

Ken Foy

Today at 10:40

A suspect due to be brought before the courts later this morning was questioned by gardai in relation to multiple offences connected to a stab attack on a woman who is well known to him.

The man, aged in his 30s, was questioned by detectives about the attempted abduction of a child, as well as an alleged campaign of harassment against the victim, who sources said was almost murdered in the attack outside her Blanchardstown home last Friday.

Gardaí investigated whether the suspect had been following the victim, who is aged in her 40s, while wearing an elaborate disguise in the days before the brutal attack.

Officers also questioned him on an allegation that he attempted to kidnap a four-year-old child but was prevented from doing so by bystanders.

The injuries inflicted on the woman, who was stabbed multiple times, suffered in the frenzied knife attack outside her home were so bad that gardaí initially feared that they would be launching a murder investigation.

However, the woman’s condition has significantly improved since she was attacked on Friday night at her home in Blanchardstown and her condition has been described as a stable as she remains in hospital

He was rearrested on Monday night and questioned at length before being charged.

“Gardaí in Blanchardstown are investigating a serious assault on a woman that occurred outside a residence in the Waterville area of Dublin 15 shortly before 9pm on Friday 10th May 2024,” a garda spokesman said this morning in a statement.

“A woman in her 40s was taken to Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, where her condition is currently described as stable.

“A man in his 30s was arrested as part of this investigation and detained at a Garda Station in the Dublin Region under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.

The victim and the arrested male are well known to each other and the case is being treated as “domestic in nature” with sources saying they may have been in a previous relationship with each other.

It is understood that the suspect called to her home and the attack happened outside the property when the woman answered the door of the property.

Sources say it was witnessed by a number of neighbours and both the victim and the arrested man are foreign nationals who have been living in Ireland for some time.