Gardaí have released a photofit image of a rape suspect they are hunting after the brutal assault of a young woman after a Christmas party in Dublin 4.

Investigators are confident they will catch the taxi driver after they released the reconstructed image of the suspect yesterday.

In an unusual move gardaí issued what they believe is an “almost perfect” EvoFit image of the man at the centre of the probe.

The attack took place in the early hours of Sunday, December 9.

Investigators believe that the female victim, who is aged in her 20s, suffered most of her ordeal while the taxi she was in was parked at Emmet Street in Dublin’s north inner-city.

The rape suspect is believed to be from a South Asian country and gardaí are hopeful of receiving “key help from members of the taxi driver community” after their latest massive appeal.

Shockingly, gardaí say that despite a massive trawl through CCTV from Ballsbridge and all the way to Mountjoy Square on the other side of the city, they have not been able to identify the exact car registration or taxi plate of the vehicle being driven by the alleged rapist.

Gardaí say that a family liaison officer is dealing with the traumatised woman who is said to be “suffering pain beyond belief” after her horrific ordeal.

A senior source said the woman was raped three times in the vehicle – vaginally and orally – between the hours of 12.43am and 2.14am on Sunday of last week.

The woman had attended a Christmas party in a Ballsbridge hotel in Dublin 4 on the night. She has told detectives she hailed a taxi from the venue, but got out of the car after she became unwell.

She got into another taxi in the Dublin 4 area and officers think she was raped in this vehicle between 12.43am and 2.14am on Sunday morning and ended up in Mountjoy Square, in Dublin’s north inner-city.

Gardaí are continuing to appeal to people who may have seen her in the Mountjoy area between 2.14am and 3.40am on Sunday to contact them.

So far, a number of people who saw the woman in the area have come forward, telling gardaí she was in a distressed state.

The man is described as between 27 to 35-years-old, with short black hair and has a beard and was wearing glasses.

He was also wearing a short-sleeved shirt.

Gardaí wish to make contact with any people in the Shelbourne Road or Serpentine Avenue area between 12.45am and 2am and also in the Emmet Street area of Dublin 1 from 2am to 3am.

The “highly respected” young woman made a complaint at Mountjoy garda station on Monday of last week but because of where the sexual assaults against her were originally alleged to have happened, the case is being investigated by officers from Irishtown garda station.

After attending Mountjoy garda station, the young woman was brought to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit at the Rotunda Hospital where examinations confirmed that the woman had been brutally sexually assaulted.

EvoFits, also known as photofits, are created by the Garda’s Facial Identification Unit with the guidance with victims of crime or witnesses.

Anyone with information is asked to contact gardaí at Irishtown garda station on 01 6669600.

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