Gardaí believe an attack on a 17-year-old girl in Kilkenny yesterday may have been an attempted abduction.
The teenager was out walking in the Johnstown area when she was approached by a man holding a scissors.
It's understood he attempted to get her into a nearby field but she managed to escape with a minor injury and was treated in hospital.
She struggled with the man and screamed for help, at which point he fled, Gardaí have been told.
Garda operation
Gardaí have conducted a preliminary interview with the teenager and have obtained details of the man.
A large Garda operation involving a Garda helicopter took place on Monday afternoon around the village of Johnstown, near where the incident occurred.
“The male is best described, at this time, as a white male in his 40s with an Irish accent,” a Garda statement said.
He was wearing dark clothing and may have been carrying a sharp implement at the time, it is understood.
The road where the incident occurred runs through farmland but has a number of houses on it where gardaí have been carrying out door-to-door inquiries.
Gardaí combed the surrounding fields and gathered CCTV evidence, with the search operation also involving dog units and the Garda Air Unit.
I am appalled that after all the recent protests and vigils highlighting the vulnerability of women that this has happened so soon
Local Fine Gael councillor Mary Hilda Cavanagh, who knows the family of the victim of the attack, said she was “horrified, shocked and appalled” by the incident.
“I have daughters and grand-daughters myself. I am appalled that after all the recent protests and vigils highlighting the vulnerability of women that this has happened so soon.”
“I am heartbroken for that girl.”
Gardaí are continuing to appeal for anyone who travelled on the R639 between Johnstown and The Gallops (a minor road also known locally as Cullinanes Lane), Ballyspellan between 11am and 12.15pm on Monday to come forward.
Gardaí can be contacted at Kilkenny at 056 777 5000, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111 or at any Garda station.
