GARDAÍ ARE to prepare a file for the DPP after yesterday releasing without charge two people arrested for questioning about the murder of a man whose body was found dumped in the river Bandon.
Detectives investigating the murder of 42-year-old Englishman John Forrester arrested a 35-year-old woman in Cloyne in east Cork and a 37-year-old man on the northside of Cork city early on Saturday morning.
The two were arrested under section four of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows for detention up to 24 hours, and they were conveyed to Bandon Garda station for questioning about the murder of Mr Forrester late last year.
Mr Forrester’s body was found with stab wounds to the neck and head, and with the arms and legs tied with rope in the river Bandon about a kilometre downstream from Bandon Bridge on November 15th.
A native of Blackpool in Lancashire and a father of four, Mr Forrester had been living in Bandon for a number of years but he had not been seen around the town since November 12th.
Gardaí became concerned for Mr Forrester when they were unable to trace his whereabouts in the course of their investigation into the murder of another man in Bandon, father-of-one Jonathan Duke (27).
In the course of investigating Mr Duke’s death, they discovered that Mr Forrester was missing from his flat.
They immediately launched a major search operation, which resulted in the discovery of his body.
Gardaí believe that Mr Forrester was assaulted in a house at Seán Hales Place near Bandon Bridge, and that his body was thrown over railings into the nearby river Bandon and carried downstream.
A postmortem examination by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster confirmed Mr Forrester had died a violent death but gardaí did not release the precise postmortem findings for operational reasons.
Yesterday afternoon, detectives released both suspects arrested on Saturday without charge and gardaí under Supt Eddie Mac Eoin of Bandon Garda station will now prepare a file for the DPP on the case.
Meanwhile, gardaí have confirmed that Mr Forrester’s body, which has been held by them as part of the investigation, will now be released to his family for funeral services.
It is understood that Mr Forrester’s remains had been held by gardaí in the event of any arrests, so that any suspects would be offered the opportunity to arrange to have their own postmortem carried out.
However, it is also understood that both suspects arrested on Saturday declined any offer to organise their own postmortems and Mr Forrester’s remains have now been released to his family.
Mr Forrester’s family has been in touch with local undertakers Gabriel and O’Donovan in Bandon, and funeral arrangements for Mr Forrester are expected to be finalised later this week.