Rapist O’Driscoll is now living close to New Age settlement

O’Driscoll (47) has been staying in west Cork after his family claimed he feels threatened in his native Glenville in north Cork, where he moved after being released from prison in July.

He has been spotted outside Dunmanway, not far from Coole Mountain, which is the location of one of Ireland’s highest-profile New Age encampments.

However, it remains unclear whether O’Driscoll plans to move permanently to west Cork or simply feels safer there for a few weeks given threats made against him in north Cork.

His family last month claimed he had narrowly avoided an attempt to kill him.

But gardai suspect the reported incident near O’Driscoll’s Glenville home was an attempt to intimidate rather than harm him.

His brother claimed he spotted two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, on a motorcycle near the family home at 2pm on August 5.

O’Driscoll was alerted and ran across nearby fields, fearing for his life. The pair then left the scene on the motorcycle.

A bike was later found burnt-out on the outskirts of Cork city. Gardai are investigating the matter, though no handgun was recovered.

They are also satisfied that no shots were fired in Glenville and have appealed to anyone else who may have spotted suspicious activity in the area to contact them.

dangerous

O’Driscoll was released from the Midlands Prison two months ago after serving 11 years of a rape sentence.

That attack was committed just months after he had been released from serving another lengthy sentence for a separate rape.

O’Driscoll, a member of the Travelling community, has been living since then with his family at Coombe, outside Glenville.

He stays with his elderly mother, with numerous relatives nearby.

O’Driscoll has been visited several times by gardai as part of his routine post-release supervision process.

However, locals expressed concerns about his return to the area.

Before he got out, his last victim and her mother admitted they were “living in fear” over the release of a rapist described by gardai as one of Ireland’s most dangerous men.

“I feel like I have been in prison myself for the past decade, but it has been a prison of fear,” said the victim.

O’Driscoll attacked the young woman not long after being released from prison for a separate rape sentence.

He had served nine years of a 12-year sentence but re-offended within weeks of leaving jail.