Furious protests erupt after asylum seeker accused of raping girl, 10

The suspect is a man in his 30s and is believed to be an International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) applicant from Africa. He was arrested at the scene

View 3 Images

A protest erupted outside a hotel where a 10-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by an asylum seeker.

The alleged incident took place on the grounds of the Citywest Hotel in Ireland's capital Dublin, not inside the building itself, which was recently bought by the government to house asylum seekers.

The suspect, an African national in his 30s who is believed to be an International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) applicant, was arrested at the scene. Police were called to the location Sunday morning and found the young girl, who is thought to be under the care of Tusla, the State's Child and Family Agency.

The child, who has been in foster care, was not residing in the hotel. Tusla confirmed that a girl in its care "was involved in a serious incident over the weekend".

In a statement released late Monday night, Tusla revealed that the young girl in its care "absconded from staff whilst on a planned recreational trip with staff in the city center". Following the incident, a group of protesters gathered outside the hotel.

View 3 Images

Members of the Garda Public Order Unit and other uniformed officers are present to manage any potential disorder among the crowd. Several individuals are there, some holding the tricolour and a banner that reads "SOS: Save Our Saggart.", reports the Irish Star.

Police are interrogating the suspect, while the child is receiving treatment. Officers said in a statement: "Gardaí are investigating an alleged assault of a female juvenile reported to have occurred at Saggart, Co. Dublin on Monday, 20th October 2025.

"A male (30s) has been arrested and is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda Station in the Dublin region. Investigations are ongoing.

"Tusla can confirm that a young girl, who was volunteered by her family into the care of the Agency in February of this year due to significant behavioural issues, was involved in a serious incident over the weekend," the statement from Tusla read.

"The young girl was living in a fully staffed, registered residential placement, provided by a funded partner in the community and voluntary sector. She absconded from staff whilst on a planned recreational trip with staff in the city centre.

"Staff immediately reported her missing to An Garda Síochána. She was later found to have returned to a relative's home, again absconding from that house later in the evening. She remained in phone contact with staff but would not identify her precise location."

The statement continued: "She subsequently told staff that she had been involved in a serious incident. Staff did eventually ascertain her location through details she provided, and alerted AGS who did locate her.

View 3 Images

"Our priority now is on supporting the young girl and her family and liaising with An Garda Síochána as part of their investigation, and it is not appropriate to share any further details at this time."

Authorities are investigating whether the suspect had been residing at the hotel. The State has been leasing the Citywest site since 2020, initially as part of the Covid-19 response and then from 2022 as a transit hub and accommodation center for both Ukrainian war refugees and those seeking international protection.

The government recently shelled out €148 million to purchase the 6.7 hectares site with plans to convert it into a permanent international protection accommodation center. Local Fianna Fáil TD John Lahart stated: "There's a number of agencies there with a number of questions to answer clearly."

Ryan Casey, the boyfriend of murdered schoolteacher Ashling Murphy, has reacted to the alleged crime. Ashling, 23, was stabbed to death by Slovak national Jozef Puska in a random attack while out for a run in Tullamore, Co Offaly in January 2022.

Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Ryan said: "How many more horrendous cases like this have to happen in this country before we wake up and put a stop this madness? A 10-year-old child is the epitome of innocence. This poor child is yet another girl who has been let down by the state, this should not have happened."

He further stated: "The lack of action from our current government on the issue of protecting our women and children across many areas and many realms over the last few years has been utterly unacceptable! They all should hang their heads in shame for this."