Police probe alleged rape of soldier in Irish Covid quarantine hotel
Police investigate alleged rape of female solider inside a Covid quarantine hotel in Ireland
- Female soldier told cops she was raped Monday inside quarantine hotel in Dublin
- Suspect is believed to be a male colleague, though no arrests have been made
- Armed forces are helping to run Ireland’s Covid hotels, where travellers from high-risk countries and those without negative tests are held for at least 10 days
Police in Ireland are investigating an alleged rape inside a Covid quarantine hotel.
A female soldier told cops that she was attacked by a male colleague on Monday night inside a Dublin hotel used to isolate travellers arriving from high-risk countries.
Police were informed Tuesday morning and have cordoned off part of the hotel while collecting evidence including CCTV and interviewing potential witnesses.
No arrests have been made, and investigations are ongoing.
Police are investigating after a female soldier claimed she had been raped by a male colleague inside an Irish Covid quarantine hotel (file image)
It is thought the two soldiers were not isolating at the hotel but were helping to run the quarantine system, according to the Irish Times.
Ireland’s Covid border restrictions mean that anyone arriving from high-risk countries such as India, Russia and South Africa or who fails to produce a negative PCR test on arrival has to isolate for at least 10 days in a hotel.
Isolation can be extended if a person refuses to take a test or if they test positive during their stay.
A police spokesman said: ‘Gardaí are investigating an allegation of an assault at a south city centre hotel. Investigations are ongoing.’
Irish Defence Forces also confirmed that they are aware of the legal complaint.
‘As the matter is the subject of an ongoing Garda investigation, it is inappropriate and not possible for us to comment any further,’ the spokesman added.
Ireland is in the process of reopening its economy after a majority of the population were vaccinated, allowing lockdowns to ease.
Pubs and restaurants were allowed to resume indoor service this week, marking the closest the country has returned to normality since the start of the pandemic.
Many pubs, especially those without food, have been closed since March 2020.
Those hoping to drink or eat indoors will have to prove they have been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid in the last 180 days.
Ireland has overseen one of the fastest vaccination campaigns anywhere in Europe with 67 per cent of adults fully vaccinated.
The country is now on course to surpass the number of double-jabbed adults in the UK – which also ran one of the fastest drives – sometime in the next week.
And, in a major step towards herd immunity, ministers have said vaccines will be offered to all those aged 12 to 18.
The UK is also offering jabs to the over 12s, but only in certain circumstances where they or someone in their household is vulnerable to Covid.
Ireland has suffered a total of 295,000 cases of Covid and 5,000 deaths.
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