Gardai are hunting a lone attacker after a woman was beaten up while walking her dog along one of Ireland’s most historical sites.
The brutal assailant jumped on the woman from behind, pulled her hair, pushed her and beat her up as she went for an early morning stroll along the Battle of the Boyne boardwalk outside Drogheda in Co Louth.
The boardwalk, which runs for a couple of miles from Drogheda to Oldbridge House, is a popular route for walkers and joggers every day.
Read More: Attacker still at large after woman assaulted on morning walk in Drogheda as gardai investigate
The woman, who is in her 40s, is seriously traumatised by the incident and suffered a number of blows to her body after being punched and kicked.
But gardai believe her injuries would have been far more serious only for a man walking nearby who heard her screams and came to her rescue.
Her attacker also kicked her dog and the animal suffered internal injuries.
A Garda source said: “Only this man came to her help and her attacker ran off, God knows what might have happened.
“When you see how poor Ashling Murphy was randomly killed, she is a lucky woman.
"She was walking under the Boyne Cable Bridge when this incident happened. It is a shocking attack.”
Gardai say the thug they are looking for is a man in his late 30s, tall and unshaven with thinning hair.
He also spoke with a non-Irish accent and was wearing a red t-shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms.
It is believed he also approached two other women along the same path a few hours later, but backed off and again fled.
There had been a number of other random attacks in the area in the past year and in one case, a jogger fought off a man who tried to assault her.
A couple of years ago another jogger was dragged into the shallow end of the River Boyne by a homeless man and sexually assaulted. He received a two-and-a-half year jail sentence.
Gardai say they are investigating the latest incident but no one has been arrested yet.
Louth Sinn Fein TD Imelda Munster called for an increased Garda presence in the popular tourist haunt.
She said: “The Boyne boardwalk is a great facility and it’s vitally important that people, particularly women, feel safe there and do not become wary of using it for fear of attack or assault.
“Gardai need to have an increased and regular presence in the area as a deterrent.”
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
