A teenage boy is due to appear in court charged over an attack on a woman in her 20s in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin on Saturday.
The boy was arrested on Christmas morning and was detained at Dun Laoghaire Garda station under the provisions of section 4, Criminal Justice Act 1984.
He was due to appear at a special court sitting on St Stephen’s Day charged in relation to the incident.
The woman, who is from Dun Laoghaire and is of Malaysian descent, received a serious laceration to the neck and a wound to her hand during what was described as a “very, very vicious assault” near the seafront at Queens Road.
She was found at the scene by a passerby shortly before 3.30pm and was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital where she received emergency treatment, and is now in a serious but stable condition.
Gardaí say the area in which the attack occurred is accessible by steps down from the road and is reasonably secluded.
The victim was still conscious when she was found, and there was significant blood loss at the scene, according to investigating officers.
The woman had to be put into an induced coma upon arrival at the hospital due to the severity of her injuries and it is thought that the assault will have lasting implications, potentially for the rest of her life.