Gardaí have launched a public appeal in their search for a man they believe has carried out 15 sexual assaults and attempted assaults in Cavan and Carlow over the past two years.
A photo fit of the suspect and CCTV images of him leaving the scene of one attack have been released by the Garda. The Irish Crimestoppers Trust has offered a €10,000 reward for any information that might lead to the suspect's arrest.
Senior Garda sources told The Irish Timesthat while the man's attacks have been on the lower end of the scale for sexual assaults, he has threatened some of his victims with a knife in their own homes, leaving them "extremely traumatised".
Gardaí are concerned at the frequency of the incidents and at the possibility that the levels of violence involved may escalate if the man is not captured.
The suspect, who is a white Irish national aged between 20 and 30 years, has been linked to all 15 attacks by a new Garda computer database which identifies serial offenders by matching common characteristics of crimes.
The suspect is described as being of slim build, with black or brown hair. He has worn a small gold ring in his left ear and a wedding ring.
He has attacked all of his victims in a similar fashion, either as they were walking alone in public areas or by pretending to be a plumber or electrician working for their landlord to gain admittance to their properties.
He has aggressively groped his victims while armed with a knife and has exposed himself.
His known offences began in mid-2005 in Cavan town, where he is believed to have been responsible for 11 sexual assaults or attempted sexual assaults. Some took place in public areas.
In a few incidents he gained admittance to women's houses before turning on them.
Gardaí in Carlow town believe he began operating there in January. He is also a suspect in two similar failed incidents.
Both of the Carlow attacks took place at the Ferrybank apartments complex in January and March. In both cases he gained access to his victims' homes by posing as a tradesman. He was captured on CCTV going to and from the apartment block.
Det Supt John McCann of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), who is leading the investigation, is confident the same man has been involved in all of the incidents.
"The description we have been given is good and we're certain somebody out there will recognise him and that we'll catch him," he said.
A team of detectives is working on the case in both Cavan and Carlow with the investigation being co-ordinated by the NBCI, based in Harcourt Square, Dublin.
A large volume of calls had been received from the public after the appeal was launched yesterday.
Information entered on to the Garda's new violent crime linkage and analysis system linked all of the crimes. The computer system was acquired by gardaí two years ago.
Since then data from all violent sexual crimes has been added in an effort to identify serial offenders. The system compares a number of characteristics including geographical and behavioural trends.
Anybody who believes they know the wanted man or has any other information on the attacks is asked to call Crimestoppers in confidence on 1800 25 00 25.