Gardaí investigate discovery of bodies of couple (80s) in their Cork home
have begun an investigation to try to establish what led to the deaths of an elderly couple whose bodies were found in their house on the outskirts of
Cork
city on Monday evening.
The bodies of the couple, who were both in their 80s, were found in the house in Glounthaune, between Cork and Carrigtwohill, by relatives when they called to the house at about 5pm.
The relatives broke down the door when they got no reply and discovered two bodies near the stairs. They immediately alerted the gardaí who cordoned off the scene.
According to a garda source, there is nothing at this stage to suggest that the couple were the victims of foul play, but they are keeping an open mind as to what may have happened to them.
READ MORE
'We tested the house for gas but there was no evidence of any gas leak there,' said the source. 'We don't know at this stage what happened, but it doesn't appear as if they were the victims of foul play.'
Garda forensic experts are due to carry out a technical examination of the scene on Tuesday while gardaí hope post-mortem examinations will help explain what happened to the couple.
Gardaí have begun door-to-door inquiries and have established the couple spoke to someone as recently as Sunday. They have also begun harvesting CCTV footage from the area.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
11 minutes ago
- The Journal
Billionaire Denis O'Brien among those DJ Carey sought to defraud with fake cancer diagnosis
BILLIONAIRE DENIS O'BRIEN is among the people ex-hurling star DJ Carey pleaded guilty to fraudulently inducing to pay him money for cancer treatment. The ten counts Carey pleaded guilty to today spanned eight years and involved 13 complainants. The trial had been expected to last three to four weeks before Carey gave his plea this morning in the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin. He'll be sentenced later this year. Today, it was put to the 54-year-old that he induced various people, on dates between 2014 and 2022, to make a monetary payment to him after fraudulently claiming to have cancer and needing finances for his treatment, with the intention of making a gain to him and causing a loss to another. In relation to Denis O'Brien, Carey was charged with inducing him to make a payment to him between January 2014 and September 2022. O'Brien, a mogul in Ireland's communications and media industries, rose to prominence during the Celtic Tiger era. O'Brien is a known sports fan and he or his companies have contributed to sports teams in Ireland and abroad throughout the years. During Carey's playing days, O'Brien's Esat Digifone was the shirt sponsor for Cork GAA. Advertisement He gave no comment today when asked to respond to Carey's guilty plea. He also did not confirm whether he gave any money to Carey for the purpose of paying for cancer treatment. Carey had claimed his condition could only be treated in the United States. Among the others Carey is charged with inducing to make payments to him are Aidan Mulligan, between June and September 2022; Christy Browne, between September and October 2022; Thomas Butler, between October 2019 and November 2022; Jeffrey Howes, between February 1 2022 and August 8 2022; Noel Tynan, between January 1 2017 and October 2022, and Edwin Carey, between December 21 2021 and November 12 2022. Carey's solicitor Edward Hughes told the court today that he has 'genuinely significant health issues' and underwent surgery for a heart condition. He also has 'certain mental health issues' and Hughes asked that a psychological report be done ahead of sentencing. Carey is regarded as one of the greatest hurlers to have played the game, winning five All-Ireland senior medals with Kilkenny, once as captain. He was named Hurler of the Year in 2000, while he won nine All-Star awards. Since retiring from play, he has managed the Kilkenny U21 hurlers and was a selector for the county senior team. He'll be sentenced on 29 October. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
13 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Court to refer withdrawn material in Conor McGregor appeal for consideration of possible perjury
The Court of Appeal is to refer, for consideration of possible perjury, material related to a fresh evidence sought to be admitted on behalf of Conor McGregor, but later withdrawn. The material was related to his appeal against a High Court civil jury finding in favour of Nikita Hand, who alleged he raped her in a Dublin hotel. The evidence, in which Ms Hand's neighbour claimed she witnessed a physical altercation between Ms Hand and her then partner within hours of the encounter between Ms Hand and Mr McGregor in the Beacon hotel was dramatically withdrawn by his side at the outset of his appeal on Tuesday. Ms Hand had described the evidence as 'lies' and said Stephen Redmond never assaulted her during their relationship. Mr McGregor's appeal over the November 2024 jury finding concluded on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the court heard a linked appeal by James Lawrence (36), Rafter's Road, Drimnagh, over a refusal to award him costs against Ms Hand following the jury decision he had not assaulted her after Mr McGregor left the hotel on December 9th, 2018. Judgment on both appeals will be given on a later date. READ MORE After Mr Lawrence's appeal concluded, the court rose to allow John Gordon SC, for Ms Hand, inform Mr McGregor's side about his intended address on the withdrawn evidence. When it returned, Mark Mulholland KC, for Mr McGregor, said his side had been given documents Ms Hand's side had intended to use in cross-examining her neighbour, Samantha O'Reilly. Mr Gordon's application related mainly to those materials against a backdrop of suggesting a criminal investigation should follow on Ms O'Reilly's intended evidence, counsel said. This was about 'getting on the record', and in the media under the cloak of privilege, points Mr Gordon intended to make and to establish he was correct in the assertions he made. This was not appropriate and, if Ms Hand wished to take this matter further, there were other means to do so, he said. Mr Gordon said Mr Mulholland had 'again pre-empted' him and argued the court had a wide discretion and inherent jurisdiction concerning how to deal with withdrawal of evidence. Mr Justice Brian O'Moore said he was 'taking to heart' Mr Mulholland's comment this could involve material that, if deployed in the application, could prejudice a possible criminal prosecution. Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said the court would view the material in chambers. It was also provided with correspondence from Mr McGregor's solicitors to consider. When the court resumed, Mr Gordon asked it to add costs terms to the withdrawal of the evidence and refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). He asked for orders awarding costs, on the highest solicitor client level, to his side related to the application to adduce and withdraw the evidence. The fresh evidence was publicly disseminated and published widely, he said. It was not correct for Mr McGregor's side to say they had not suggested Ms Hand was telling lies because, in an email by Ms O'Reilly to Mr McGregor's solicitors, there was a 'direct accusation' against Ms Hand. The fresh evidence application was not just to adduce further evidence but to undermine Ms Hand's reputation pending the hearing of the appeal, he said. Ms Hand had sworn an affidavit calling the evidence out as lies and was entitled to her opportunity to call that out in this court but the withdrawal prevented her throwing out the 'highly disparaging and unfair' criticisms of her. The court has power to refer the matter to the DPP and should do so because that would show the court's concern about the apparent abuse of its own processes, counsel said. In response, Mr Mulholland said the costs issues should await the outcome of the appeal. Mr Gordon's referral application was a matter for the court, he added. In its ruling at 2pm, Ms Justice Kennedy said the court would refer the matter to the DPP and would inform the parties what material it intended to refer in that regard. She said costs orders would be made following the court's judgment on the appeal. Ms Hand, accompanied by her partner Gary Foy and mother Deborah, was in court for the appeal hearing. Mr McGregor appealed a civil jury's finding last November that he assaulted Ms Hand in the Beacon Hotel, Sanydford, Dublin, on December 9th, 2018. Ms Hand was awarded €250,000 damages and got her legal costs, estimated around €1.3 million, against Mr McGregor. The 36-year-old mother of one told the jury Mr McGregor raped her after she and a friend went with him and his friend Mr Lawrence to the hotel. She said she told Mr McGregor she did not want to have intercourse with him, he 'would not take no for an answer', she was wearing a tampon at the time and would not have sex during her period. Mr McGregor denied rape and said he and Ms Hand had 'fully consensual' and 'vigorous', 'sex. He was shocked when later shown photos of bruising on Ms Hand, had not caused them and there was no tampon, he said. Ms Hand denied Mr Lawrence's claim she had consensual sex with him after Mr McGregor left the hotel. When charging the jury, Mr Justice Owens told them, if a person proves they were subject by another person to non-consensual sexual activity, that is the tort or civil wrong of assault. The jury found Mr McGregor assaulted Ms Hand and Mr Lawrence had not assaulted her. For his appeal, Mr McGregor claimed fresh evidence came into his possession after the case which provided a 'plausible' explanation for bruising on Ms Hand's body noted by a doctor who examined her on December 10th 2018. That included sworn claims by Samantha O'Reilly that, from a bedroom in her house, she observed a physical row between Ms Hand and her then partner Stephen Redmond at their home on the night of December 9/10th 2018. At the outset of Mr McGregor's appeal on Tuesday, his lawyers said, arising from a consideration of case law and reservations expressed by the court about the admissibility of other evidence from former Northern Ireland State Pathologist Dr Jack Crane, they were withdrawing their applications to adduce that evidence. Mr Mulholland said Dr Crane's evidence was considered necessary to corroborate the neighbours' evidence. Mr Gordon said he was 'shocked', Ms Hand had been 'put through the wringer yet again' and had answered the claims by saying they were 'lies', which he said was now conceded, and indicated there might be an issue about referring matters to the DPP for consideration of perjury. Mr McGregor's appeal proceeded with submissions from the sides whether or not there were errors of law in how Mr Gordon and the trial judge approached Mr McGregor's 'no comment' responses when interviewed by gardai after giving them a statement in response to Ms Hand's claim of rape. A second ground concerned whether the trial judge erred in directing the jury be asked to answer whether or not Mr McGregor 'assaulted' Ms Hand rather than 'sexually assaulted' her. In submissions on Mr Lawrence's costs appeal, John Fitzgerald SC said the trial judge had, in his costs ruling, erred in law and in principle in interpreting the jury verdict as a finding by the jury there was no sex at all between Ms Hand and Mr Lawrence and that was why they decided he had not assaulted her. The only reasonable interpretation of the jury not awarding punitive damages was they did not accept there was collusion between Mr McGregor and Mr Lawrence relating to Ms Hand's claim, he said. The normal rule, that costs go to the winning party, should apply in light of the jury's finding Mr Lawrence has not assaulted Ms Hand. Opposing Mr Lawrence's appeal, Ray Boland SC said there was no error in the trial judge's decision not to award costs to Mr Lawrence against Ms Hand. In exercising his discretion on costs, the trial judge was entitled to take into account that Mr Lawrence did not incur any costs because Mr McGregor paid his legal fees, counsel said. If costs were awarded to Mr Lawrence against Ms Hand, the court could take it they would be 'snaffled' by Mr McGregor and exceed her award of €250,000 damages. Ms Justice Kennedy told counsel that saying the court should look at the consequences of any order it might make was a difficult argument to make.
Irish Times
44 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Crime figures: Homicides fall, while sexual and public order offences on the rise, CSO finds
There have been 'notable' decreases in the number of homicides, burglaries, robberies and kidnappings over recent months, according to the latest crime figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The number of recorded crime incidents for most offences fell in the year to March of this year, compared to the same period in 2024. The most significant drops were for homicide, which was down 34 per cent over the period and robbery, extortion and hijacking offences, down 8 per cent. However, there were increases in the number of crime incidents of sexual offences (15 per cent), public order and other social code offences (5 per cent), attempts/threats to murder, assaults, harassment (3 per cent) and weapons and explosive offences (3 per cent). READ MORE Victims of crime incidents of attempts/threats to murder, assaults and harassments fell by 1 per cent to 5,370 in the first quarter of this year from the same period in 2024 . The number of male victims fell by 3 per cent and the number of female victims rose by 1 per cent. [ Murders, sex crimes, drug importation increasing as other crimes drop in Ireland Opens in new window ] Victims aged 60 years or more showed the largest decrease over the year. Male victims in this age cohort fell by 13 per cent and female victims fell by 8 per cent. Other notable changes were a fall of 6 per cent in male victims both aged under 18 years and 45-59 years at the time of the incident. For female victims, there were increases of 3 per cent and 2 per cent respectively for those in the 30-44 and 45-59 year age groups. The CSO said over the four-year period from 2022 to 2025, the largest percentage changes in the number of recorded crime incidents have been for theft, robbery, extortion and hijacking offences. In the year to March of this year, there were 74,102 recorded crime incidents of theft, up by 23,181 incidents, or 46 per cent, since the same period in 2022. The number of crime incidents of robbery, extortion and hijacking offences rose by 24 per cent over the same period. Weapons and explosive offences are up 14 per cent from 2,575 incidents in 2022 to 2,943 this year.
