A 35 year-old man is expected to appear before the courts this morning charged in relation to the rape of an 86-year-old woman who was subjected to a lengthy ordeal in her home in the early hours of Monday morning.
The victim of the attack was alone in her house close to Monaghan town centre early on Monday when she went to answer a call at the door. The man at first demanded money, then raped her.
Gardaí believe the incident began some time after midnight and lasted until about 7.30am when the attacker fled, enabling the woman to contact family members, who live locally. They then contacted gardaí.
The chief suspect in the case is well known to gardaí. He was at the centre of a criminal trial in the 1990s which resulted in his conviction and inclusion on the sex offenders' register.