Gardaí are investigating after a three-year-old boy was allegedly sexually assaulted at a homeless family hub.
The boy was staying at the emergency accommodation in North Dublin with his mother and older brother after they fled their home seeking refuge from domestic violence.
They have since been moved to another hub in the north of the city after gardai were called in to investigate the complaint of sexual assault.
The boy’s distraught mother, 29 – who we are not naming to protect his
identity – told the Irish Sunday Mirror he has been left traumatised by the suspected attack.
She said: “There’s a little garden and benches outside and this couple, a man and a woman in their 40s, called him over. They pulled down his pants and were molesting him on his private parts. I called him and he shot straight over to me and told me everything that had happened.”
The suspect, believed to be a Romanian national, was questioned by Gardai and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Detectives have taken witness statements and are reviewing CCTV footage.
A spokeswoman said: “Gardai are investigating an alleged incident of assault that occurred at a premises in Dublin 9 on July 22, 2021. One person was arrested and detained under section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984.
“This persons has been released without charge. The investigation is ongoing and a file will be submitted to the Office of the DPP.”
Meanwhile, the boy’s mother said she feels “abandoned” by the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, which she says has not been in contact since the assault.
She added: “I don’t know why we were moved to a homeless hub in the north city. We are not homeless, we are fleeing domestic violence.
“I was promised loads of support for the kids when I first moved out, but they’ve [Tusla] failed us, failed my kids.”
Dublin City Council said it could not comment as the matter is the subject of a Garda investigation.
Tusla failed to respond to a request for comment.
