A British businessman accused of abusing two girls in Louth and Dublin has been sent forward for trial.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of raping and sexually assaulting the girls after paying for their mother to go away on trips between 2010 and 2011.

The alleged abuse first came to light after the two girls were taken into care in March 2011.

Specialist officers spoke to the children and through those conversations, a total of 33 charges including three allegations of rape were brought against the man (33).

In June, he was arrested in Florida and gardaí travelled to the US last month to bring him back to Ireland to face these charges.

He is accused of abusing the girls at two locations in Co Louth and at a hotel on the Malahide Road in Dublin.

He was initially denied bail because of a fear that he would flee to South America, where it would be difficult to extradite him from.

However, he has since been granted bail and appeared in court today where he was handed a book of evidence and sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court.