Police Search Garden For Remains Of Babies

Police are to begin excavating the back garden of a house in south Dublin after a woman claimed two babies were buried there.

The woman, now aged 53, told officers she had been sexually abused by a paedophile ring, which allegedly included her father, between 1966 and 1977.

She claims to have given birth aged 12 and 14 and says that both children were suffocated before being buried in the garden of the property.

Detectives are understood to have corroborated details of the woman’s allegations before seeking a search warrant for the house in the south of the city.

Ireland's National Bureau of Criminal Investigation will begin a major excavation operation next week and it is expected to last up to three weeks.

Specialist officers will be in charge of the geophysical survey and the state pathologist has been placed on standby to attend the scene, if required.

Forensic archaeologist Toni Maguire told Ireland’s state broadcaster RTE it should not be difficult to locate the remains of any child buried in the garden.

She said the type of soil and whether or not coffins were used were factors but added: "If the remains are there, they’ll find them."

Police have interviewed the alleged victim on several occasions during a year-long investigation and sources describe the harrowing story she tells as being "very credible".

They plan to speak to an elderly woman about the case but at least one of the men accused of abusing the victim is dead.

In a statement, police said: "Gardai at Crumlin Garda Station are investigating an allegation regarding the death of a newborn infant that occurred in the 1970s.

"As part of that investigation, a search warrant was executed at an address in South Dublin.

"It is anticipated that the search will last two to three weeks.

"The result of this search will determine the future direction of this investigation."