A woman who was rescued while being held captive and tortured in a Dublin flat was wrongly accused after a consignment of drugs went missing.
Gardaí have recovered a number of implements, including hammers, which were being heated with a blow torch and used to torture the woman, who was lured to the property.
One man who has emerged as a person of interest in the case had been granted early release from prison the day before the attack. Gardaí were also investigating a possible link between Thursday night’s attack and a similar ordeal, also involving torture, that another woman was subjected to in Dublin several years ago.
Thursday night’s violence has been described by Garda sources as “absolutely horrific” and “off the scale”. Sources said even experienced investigators had been shocked by what was uncovered in the property off Bolton Street in the north inner city.
The victim, a woman in her 30s, was rescued from the flat and eight arrests made – seven men and a male juvenile – after gardaí went there at about 7pm to carry out a search for drugs. They were targeting men known for involvement in the drug trade in the inner city and in north Dublin suburbs around Ballymun.
However, when the gardaí gained access to the flat, they unexpectedly discovered the badly injured and traumatised woman and the eight suspects, two of whom are a father and son.
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The Irish Times has learned a man was badly beaten earlier on Thursday over allegations he had lost a consignment of drugs before the woman was then wrongly blamed over the missing drugs. She was located and lured to the flat, inside a larger property.
She was then held captive there and subjected to beatings and torture with heated implements. Some of her hair also appears to have been pulled out.
At this time, gardaí have identified no sexual element to the attack. Instead, it was being treated as an extreme case of drug-related intimidation and the woman has been left with a litany of injuries, including burns and broken bones.
She was brought to the Mater hospital for treatment and has been supported by staff there and by gardaí. Though her injuries were not life threatening, she had been subjected to a prolonged violent ordeal and some of her injuries are believed to require surgery.
When the scene was discovered, by chance, the property was sealed off and has undergone forensic examination. Gardaí have also taken a number of items from the property, including weapons they believed were used, for further examination.
While gardaí have made no comment on the nature of the violence at the centre of the case, they have confirmed an investigation into an alleged false imprisonment was under way and eight arrests have been made by gardaí from the Bridewell station.
“The eight males – aged in their 20s, 30s, 50s and one juvenile – are all currently detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act,” the Garda said in reply to queries.
The suspects were being held in four Dublin Garda stations, where their periods of detention were extended on Friday, meaning they can be questioned without charge until the early hours of Saturday morning.
