A man was yesterday charged with six counts of raping a student aged 22 in a park in Cork when he appeared at Cork District Court. The 18-year-old accused is also charged with aggravated sexual assault, false imprisonment, assault causing harm and threatening to kill the woman at Kennedy Park, Victoria Road, on March 8th. Det Garda John Gleeson said the man made no reply when charged and gardai were seeking substantial independent surety if granted bail. Insp Martin Shanahan said gardai feared he might abscond.
Mr Diarmuid Kelleher, defending, said the man had had ample opportunity to abscond and had not done so. Judge Con O'Leary remanded the man on his own bail of £2,000 to appear again on January 6th.