Athlone attack may be linked to previous assaults

Gardaí said the latest incident took place at the Bonavalley Bridge and forensic officers were examining the scene.

The attacker, believed to be a young man, was wearing a black top and may have been dressed all in black.

The four attacks have all occurred in the same area, near the Athlone Institute of Technology, which is hosting Freshers’ Week for first year students.

Students’ Union president Micheal Fogarty said it had warned students to be vigilant.

“The Students’ Union at AIT implements an ongoing safety information programme and ’Stay Messages’ were an integral part of student induction last week,” he said.

“We will be reinforcing the message that students not walk alone and remain vigilant at all times.

“Our priority is to ensure the well-being and safety of the students at AIT.”

He said buses have been organised to ferry students between the town and the campus in an effort to stop people walking home alone at night.

The latest incident comes almost one year after a number of serious assaults on women in the area.

A woman was attacked while walking along the same stretch of road in October last year.

The previous month, another woman was set upon by an attacker who dragged her to a secluded area.

The first attack, which occurred last August, was reconstructed in an RTE Crimecall programme.

The victim was assaulted while she waited for her friend who went in search of a taxi after the pair left a nightclub in the town.

She was dragged into a disused bus-park where the attacker severely beat her. He ran off after the woman fought back.

A €10,000 reward was offered by Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest of the man believed to be responsible for the attack following last year’s incidents.