This article is from page 1 of the 2014-11-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 1 JPG
A YOUNG woman was left shaken after she was allegedly ‘groped’ while out walking in Ennis on Friday night. The woman and her friend were walking near St Flannan’s College when a man jumped from behind a wall and grabbed the woman.
A passer-by witnessed the incident and came to the aid of the woman who is from Ennis. The suspected offender, who is in his early 20s, f ed through the grounds of St Flannan’s.
The woman, a mother of two, returned home and reported the incident to gardaí. She was able to give a detailed description of the man to gardaí.
A person matching the suspect’s description was observed by gardaí in Ennis within hours of the incident. He was detained for a brief period but later released without charge. Investigations into the matter are ongoing.
The woman left her house at around 8.45pm on Friday. She and a friend were walking on the Limerick Road, near the West County Hotel.
They were going in the direction of the town centre when they became aware of man wearing a dark camouf age hoodie walking closely behind them.
The women stopped and noticed the man. They decided to cross the road to Michael Lynch’s Joinery before crossing back to the Flannan’s side of the road.
The young man followed the same route but turned at Flannan’s and started to walk towards Ennis. The two women had passed the college’s main entrance and were just passing another narrow entrance to the school when the youth re-appeared.
It is alleged he jumped a wall and suddenly grabbed the woman. The shocked victim and her friend turned on the man who f ed through the grounds of the school. The young mother was left shaken and upset by the incident.