A WOMAN WHO has been living next door to the serial sex offender targeted by a ‘vigilante’ group this week has said she and her daughters were “terrorised” by the man in the weeks before his identity became known.

The man was set upon by a group of people in Finglas on Monday after word spread locally that the convicted rapist was living in the area.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, one of his neighbours said she made a complaint to gardaí last Saturday after repeated harassment from the man. The woman, who does not wish to be named, said the rapist threatened violence against her and her two adult daughters.

In a video seen by TheJournal.ie, the man can be seen shouting over the wall between their two back gardens, repeatedly referring to himself as a member of a well-known criminal gang.

He adds: “I’ll burn you out you tramp, I’ll f***ing show you who I am.”

Release conditions

The serial sex offender has been convicted of both rape and serious sexual assault. He was released from prison earlier this year.

One of the conditions of the partial suspension of his most recent sentence was that he be of good behaviour for three years after his release. 

Sex offenders are obliged to provide gardaí with an address when they are released from prison and this man is required to sign on at a garda station every seven days. He must also inform gardaí of any change of address. 

Each sex offender is assigned a liaison officer at a local level who is tasked with ensuring they comply with conditions. 

The garda Sex Offender Management and Intelligence Unit (SOMIU) is responsible for the overall monitoring of offenders and receives notifications when information is entered into the Pulse system about these individuals. 

‘I was disgusted’

“I got a call in work from my daughter last Friday that he was shouting threats, calling her names,” the woman said.

I came back and phoned the guards, that was at quarter to one in the afternoon on Friday. I went to the [garda] station on Saturday and they asked if I wanted to make a formal complaint so we did.

“At that time we still didn’t know what he was, we hadn’t a clue. I was disgusted when I found out,” she said. 

“There is a serious serial sex offender living next door to us threatening us. I’m still in shock, I haven’t slept since last Friday.”

The woman said gardaí arrived at the house a number of hours later and the man was taken to Finglas garda station. 

“A few hours later my daughter rang me to say he was back outside shouting that he was going to kick the door in.”

A garda spokesperson confirmed local gardaí are investigating “reports of threats made against a person” on Friday 2 August.

“A male (50s) was arrested on Saturday 3 August 2019 and later released without charge and a file is being prepared for the DPP.”

The woman said the family has been receiving support from neighbours and the wider community who have been visiting them and offering to stay overnight so they feel more secure. 

She said she does not believe they have received enough support from An Garda Síochána and is upset that the family was not informed ahead of the man’s release from custody on Saturday. 

Gardaí spoke to her shortly after the sex offender was attacked on Monday. During that incident, in which the sex offender was threatened with a hammer and chased by a group of young people close to the house he’s living in, the man jumped on a bicycle and cycled to Finglas Garda Station.