Dublin fatal assault followed objection over car door being opened, gardaí believe

Gardaí investigating a road rage incident that has led to the death of a man in north Dublin are working on a definite line of inquiry and have identified a chief suspect in the case.

The victim has been named locally as Martin Lynn (33) with an address in the Larkhill estate in Whitehall, Dublin 9 where he was attacked.

The victim died in hospital on Tuesday evening as a result of injuries he sustained in the early hours of last Sunday morning on the street close to his home.

However, Garda sources said the investigation into his death had not been upgraded to a murder inquiry because of the possible “complexities” involved in the case, including the need to determine precisely what caused his death.

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Mr Lynn, a clerical worker in the health sector, had been out socialising last Saturday night, into the early hours of Sunday morning, and got a taxi back to his home.

As he was alighting from the taxi on Larkhill Road at about 4.30am, another road user passed on a motorbike. It is understood the motorcyclist objected to the manner Mr Lynn opened the door of the taxi as he was passing.

The motorcyclist stopped and remonstrated with Mr Lynn, and at that point, the motorcyclist punched the victim once in the head or face. Mr Lynn then fell backwards and is believed to have hit his head on the ground while his attacker, who was wearing a motorbike helmet, left the scene.

The emergency services were alerted, with paramedics and gardaí arriving on the scene a short time later. Mr Lynn was treated at the scene before being taken to nearby Beaumont Hospital, where he remained in a critical condition until he was pronounced dead on Tuesday evening.

The Garda investigation into his death has not been upgraded to a murder inquiry as the results of the postmortem on Mr Lynn’s remains must be fully analysed and toxicology results were also awaited.

Mr Lynn worked in a clerical capacity in a sports injury clinic in Santry, north Dublin, close to where he lived and had previously worked at Dublin City University, in the college’s healthy living centre.

He was also well known in Dublin rock music circles and at venues such as Fibber Magees on Parnell Street and Bruxelles on Harry Street, Dublin 2.

Club Hell at O’Reilly’s Rock Bar, Dublin 2, said it was “deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a great friend of Club Hell”.

“Martin was a gent of the rock/metal scene and will be sadly missed by all of us and the wider rock/metal community,” it said. “We would like to send our deepest condolences to all of Martin’s friends and family at this difficult time. RIP.”

Friends of Mr Lynn also paid tribute to him on Facebook, describing him as “a gentleman” and “a fantastic friend” who loved gaming and music.

Garda sources said the attack on Mr Lynn was being treated as assault and any further upgrading of the investigation, possibly to a homicide case, would depend on the nature of his injuries and precisely what caused his death.

One source said if alcohol has been consumed a victim may be much more susceptible to succumbing to a head injury resulting from a punch, and determining the precise mechanism of death can be complex in such cases.

Detectives believe they have now identified the motorcyclist who assaulted Mr Lynn – who had never come to the attention of gardaí – and they are working on a definite line of inquiry. It is understood the suspect is from the same general area of north Dublin where Mr Lynn was living, though no evidence has emerged to suggest the two men knew each other.

The team investigating the death has appealed for anyone who was driving in the Larkhill Road or Collins Avenue area between 4am and 5am last Sunday, July 30th, to come contact them at Santry Garda station. The scene of the fatal attack was sealed off and underwent a technical examination on Sunday. A family liaison officer has also been appointed to assist Mr Lynn’s relatives.

* This article was amended on Sunday, August 6th 2023