A Brazilian student accused of making a false report to gardaí, claiming she had been raped in Dublin, is to be tried in the district court if she pleads guilty.

Otherwise, the DPP has decided she will have to go on trial before a judge and jury in the circuit court, which has much tougher sentencing powers and could impose a possible five-year jail term.

Regina Thais De Oliveira, 20, who had been living at Cabra Park in Dublin, but now living in Blackrock, was charged last month with making a false statement to officers at Mountjoy Garda Station on 25 August. 

The English language student has not yet indicated how she will plead.

She spent five days in prison on remand before she was able to take up bail, which had been set at €1,000.

Today, she made her fourth appearance at Dublin District Court, where Judge Anthony Halpin heard that directions have been obtained in relation to the magnitude and gravity of the offence.

"The DPP has directed summary disposal on a guilty plea in this court," said Detective Garda Kevin Keyes.

Defence solicitor Peter Keatings said he has not yet obtained disclosure of the prosecution's evidence and he asked the judge to order investigating gardaí to hand over video interviews and "any other statements". 

He said he was seeking "anything the prosecution intends to rely on", including garda custody records and copies of their notebook entries.

Detective Keyes said that could be done before the next hearing and the judge made the disclosure order.

In response to a request to relax the student's bail condition, which had compelled her to sign-on daily at Blackrock Garda Station, Detective Keyes said he had no objection.

She has signed on every day, he said, adding that members of Ms De Oliveira's family are now in Ireland.

The judge reduced it to three times a week and remanded her on continuing bail to appear again on a date next month, when it is expected that she will tell the court how she is going to plead.

On conviction in the district court, a sentence of up to one year could be imposed.

However, if found guilty by a jury in the circuit court, a defendant could be jailed for up to five years for making a false report to gardaí.

Ms De Oliveira did not address the court and listened to the proceedings with the assistance of a translator.

Earlier, the district court had been told that as a result of the woman's alleged claim, no one was charged but "it came very close" and gardaí expended "significant resources".

The young woman came to Dublin on a student visa and had been living with a number of people, including her boyfriend, for several months.

As a condition of bail she also has to reside at her current address in Blackrock, obey an 11pm to 7am curfew and be contactable by mobile phone.

She has already surrendered her passport to gardaí and is not allowed to apply for a new one or any travel documents.