A student accused of making a false report she had been raped in Dublin has been told to lodge €1,000 before she can be released on bail.
Regina Thais De Oliveira (20), a Brazilian national with an address at Cabra Park in Dublin, was charged last week with making a false statement to officers at Mountjoy Garda station on August 25th.
A ruling on bail was deferred until today when Judge Anthony Halpin heard at Dublin District Court the woman had wasted significant Garda resources for 12 days.
The judge also refused a request from her lawyer to ban the media from identifying her.
Det Garda Chris Cahill objected to bail and said while nobody was charged, “it came very close”. Gardai expended “significant resources” in identifying suspects, he told the court.
He said the accused later admitted “fabricating this allegation” about a “real person” she had encountered.
He also said she was a flight risk, her visa expired in July and prior to her arrest on September 5th, she had booked a flight to return to Brazil that evening.
Det Gda Cahill agreed with defence solicitor Peter Keatings the woman had told gardai she would return to Ireland for her case.
The student, who has not yet entered a plea, was in tears throughout the hearing in which the judge heard her family plan to send her €1,000, which she said was a lot of money for them. Her mother is also planning to come to Ireland to offer her support, the judge heard.
The court heard the seriousness of her situation dawned on her when, last Friday, she was held at the Dochas centre, Mountjoy Prison’s women’s unit.
Addressing the court via a translator, she said she would live with her boyfriend at her current address.
Judge Halpin said the English language student, was in “pseudo-solitary confinement” while on remand in prison but making a false claim alleging rape is “one of the more serious crimes”.
She would be freed on bail if €1,000 is lodged in cash and on release pending trial she must sign on daily at Mountjoy Garda station, the judge ruled. He also said she would have to reside at her Cabra address, obey a 11pm to 7am curfew and be contactable by mobile phone.
She has surrendered her passport to gardai and would not be allowed to apply for a new one or any travel documents, the judge said.
The court also heard it could take a couple of days before the bail money will be lodged and until then she cannot be released from the prison.
The student was ordered to appear again on September 17th.
Meanwhile directions from the DPP need to be obtained to determine if her trial will take place in the District Court or in the Circuit Court, where a sentence of up to five years could be imposed on conviction.