Dalkey rape allegations made against two gardaí

Detectives are examining new rape allegations against a garda and a retired garda, made by the woman at the centre of the Dalkey, Co Dublin, abuse case.

The two men are to be interviewed following claims that the woman who is now 43, was raped in the 1970s by them. The allegations are understood to have been made in the past two weeks and are being treated by gardaí with "scepticism", according to one Garda source, in part because of the delay in making the claims.

According to a Garda spokesperson gardaí, "a lot of information has been put forward" and a number of people have been named by the woman, known as Niamh and all information would be examined.

Gardaí have been investigating the deaths of two children in Dalkey some 30 years ago, to whom Niamh allegedly gave birth.

Last week the excavation of the garden of the woman's former family home failed to find any remains of a child to whom Niamh says she gave birth when she was 14. The remains of another child, to whom she allegedly gave birth aged just 11, were found dumped in a lane in Upper George's Street, Dún Laoghaire, in 1973. The Dún Laoghaire coroner has agreed to reopen the inquest into the death of that infant, a girl, who had been stabbed up to 14 times with a knitting needle.

Solicitors for Niamh have said she had been attempting to obtain justice for many years and that the State owed her an explanation for the way it had dealt with her allegations of rape as a young girl by her father and brothers. Allegations were also made that a male visitor to the family home had paid to have sex with her. She also alleged witnessing the abuse of other family members and two of her sisters have also made statements alleging abuse.