Gardaí are to prepare a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions after releasing without charge two women arrested for questioning about the death of a 37-year-old Englishman whose body was found in a slurry tank in West Cork.
Gardaí arrested the 42-year-old Irish woman and a 32-year-old British woman in Dublin city centre at about 8pm on Friday and brought them to Bandon Garda station for questioning about the killing of a New Age Traveller, Garry Bull.
Officers launched a murder inquiry on Friday evening after a postmortem by Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Margaret Bolster revealed that Mr Bull had died from severe head injuries consistent with being struck with a blunt instrument.
Gardaí were yesterday continuing to search for the murder weapon - possibly a hammer or an iron bar - and drained the slurry tank on the farm at Shanlaragh, Dunmanway where Mr Bull's body was found on Thursday morning following a tip-off.
Gardaí believe he was already dead when his body was dumped in the slurry tank and that his body was in the tank for more than two weeks.
Mr Bull had been living in a mobile home in the Kilmichael area of West Cork between Dunmanway and Macroom, having come to live among the 200 or so New Age Traveller community in the nearby Coole Mountain area about three years ago.
It is understood Mr Bull, who was originally from Hertfordshire, had been in a relationship with a woman in her 30s up until relatively recently but they had split up and he had in more recent times been involved with a younger woman.
Gardaí believe Mr Bull may have been fatally injured during a row in a house near Shanlaragh about September 23rd and they have been carrying out inquiries among the New Age Traveller community and locals in the area to try and establish his last known movements.
Gardaí under Supt Pat Maher of Clonakilty Garda station yesterday succeeded through Interpol in making contact with Mr Bull's brother in the UK and it is expected that family members will arrive in West Cork in the next few days to make funeral arrangements.
Supt Maher thanked members of the public who had assisted them to date but he appealed to anyone who may have seen a blue Isuzu vehicle with the registration number 92 C 16566 belonging to Mr Bull over the past two weeks to contact them on 023-21570.
Meanwhile, gardaí also released without charge a 19-year-old Irish woman also arrested in Dublin on Friday night. She was arrested on suspicion of assisting others in the commission of an offence and her statements will also form part of the file on the case.
The arrest of the three women was followed by the arrest of a man in his 20s in Dungarvan in Co Waterford on Friday night after officers carried out a technical examination of a phone box in Grattan Square in the town.
Gardaí in Clonakilty traced a phone call with information that they received late on Thursday night to the phone box in Dungarvan and gardaí there under Supt Tom O'Grady moved quickly to arrest a man in his 20s.
It is understood he had information regarding Mr Bull's death and was questioned for several hours before being released without charge on Saturday night.