Sex beast who had 'rape van' held in Spain

The man was detained on foot of a European Arrest Warrant and faces being extradited here in relation to serious separate offences.

The criminal, who is from north Dublin, was picked up by police in the Alicante region on Thursday and is in jail this weekend after fleeing Ireland more than 18 months ago when he was allowed to travel abroad for a holiday by a judge.

bizarre

He failed to return from that trip and gardai issued an international arrest warrant which was acted on by Spanish authorities this week.

The suspected serial rapist had been driving around north inner city Dublin in a modified van which contained a 'rape kit'.

At least four prostitutes told gardai they were raped and robbed by the man between 2010 and 2012 but would not make complaints.

A convicted sex offender, he was previously questioned about the double rape of two prostitutes in a north Dublin hotel in August 2012.

Ten days before he allegedly raped the foreign sex workers, the man was stopped while he was driving in a van with duct tape and cable ties.

He has previously been stopped carrying a knife and knuckleduster and has been involved in a terrifying but bizarre campaign against gardai.

The sex workers who were picked up by the man in a van in the Ballsbridge area in August 2012 were taken to a hotel.

They alleged that they were given a substance and then savagely sexually assaulted.

The women went to Ballymun Garda Station the following morning, where they made a formal complaint.

They were then taken to hospital for treatment. Some time later, he voluntarily attended the station where he was interviewed by gardai.

The man stated that he had sexual intercourse with both women, but denied rape.

After he was released from custody on a separate case in early 2013, gardai were so concerned that they issued a special nationwide alert about him to all stations.

brutal

His brutal activities against prostitutes led gardai in Dublin's north inner city to set up a special undercover operation which was run from the Bridewell station in which female gardai posed as prostitutes in an attempt to snare him.

However, the criminal fled the country just weeks after the operation was set up.

Before he fled, a file in relation to the rape and false imprisonment allegations was sent to the DPP and gardai hope to bring charges in relation to the shocking incident involving the sex workers .

kfoy@herald.ie