A long-serving Garda has been suspended from duty from his station in a small County Galway town, following an allegation of a serious sexual assault on a teenage girl, the Connacht Tribune can reveal.

The guard, who is believed to be married with children, is alleged to have carried out a serious assault on a girl two years ago when she was aged 18.

However, the matter only came to light in recent weeks, when the girl informed her solicitor – who was dealing with a similar, yet entirely separate, claim.

An official complaint was subsequently made to the Gardaí, and the officer concerned was suspended on full pay while an investigation got underway.

For legal reasons, we are not publishing the location of the station to which the Garda was attached.

It’s understood that the complainant – who is now aged twenty – and her solicitor chose to have the allegation investigated by the Gardaí, and not the Garda Ombudsman. A spokesperson for the Ombudsman declined to comment.

See full story in this week's Connacht Tribune.