A family in Galway has told of how they were distraught when their former au pair was taken to prison on Tuesday.
Paloma Aparezida Silva-Carvalho, from Brazil, was arrested at Dublin Airport after getting off a flight from Basle in Switzerland.
The 24 year-old was taken to Dóchas centre at Mount Joy Prison, reports the Irish Times.
Gardaí are believed to have arrested her as they thought she was coming here to work illegally, though the woman had in fact come to Ireland to visit a family for whom she had worked as an au pair.
She had worked for the Muller-Weir family in Moycullen, County Galway for 18 months up to September of last year.
The family said they were distraught over what happened to their visitor.
“She became one of our family. The children are mad about her and she is about them,” Karin Mullen-Weir said.
“She was visiting her fiance in Switzerland and planned to come and see us for two months. Her mother is due to come and join her and their return flights for September 25th are booked and paid for.”
She said that the family had been expecting to collect Ms Silva-Carvalho from a bus on Tuesday evening, but got a call earlier that afternoon to say she had been arrested.
The woman was eventually released last night.
