Gardaí investigate alleged sexual assault on girl (14)

GARDAÍ HAVE confirmed reports that they are investigating an alleged sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl by a 15-year-old boy in a house on Ailesbury Road in Dublin’s southside after a recent teenage disco.

A Garda spokeswoman said gardaí at Donnybrook were investigating the alleged assault which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, April 27th in the Dublin 4 area.

The teenager had attended a Saturday night disco at the Old Wesley rugby club and was thought to have met the 15-year-old boy there.

It is understood that she went to a house in Ailesbury Road with him and a small group of teenagers after the disco finished.

The house was the scene of the alleged assault by the 15-year-old boy.

The youth is understood to have said that there was a sexual encounter, but that it was a consensual one. Under the law, it is illegal to have sex with a girl under 17-years-old.

The girl made a statement to gardaí at Donnybrook station last week. Gardaí have also interviewed a number of people in connection with the incident and have taken some statements. No arrests have yet been made.

Donie Bolger, who runs the popular Wesley disco, said he did not want to add to the publicity surrounding the alleged incident.

“I am very saddened about the whole thing,” he said.

Mr Bolger said that the Wesley disco was run like “a very tight ship” and misbehaviour was never tolerated.

He said the Wesley disco was one of the few clubs to continue to offer teenagers a social outlet. It had very strict rules to ensure that the high spirits of teenagers did not get out of hand, he said.

“We have a zero, zero tolerance to drink and parents will be phoned immediately and told to collect their children if alcohol is taken,” he said.

Mr Bolger expressed unhappiness at the media focus on the Wesley club. He said the publicity was very unfair on the girl and her family.