Crime & Law

Man (39) stabbed to death in Kildare was father of young children

Gardaí suspect Ion Daghi suffered fatal stab wound after dispute broke out at Sallins house in early hours of Sunday

The scene where a man, who is in his 30s, was discovered dead at a property in the Sallins Park area of Sallins, Co Kildare in the early hours of Sunday morning. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
The scene where a man, who is in his 30s, was discovered dead at a property in the Sallins Park area of Sallins, Co Kildare in the early hours of Sunday morning. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Conor Lally
Mon May 13 2024 - 13:11

Gardaí believe a father of young children who was stabbed to death in a house in Co Kildare was fatally wounded when a dispute broke out with a man known to him at a social gathering. A suspect was arrested at the scene in Sallins over the weekend and remained in Garda custody on Monday.

While the investigation into the fatal assault was still in its early stages, investigating gardaí are following a definite line of inquiry. They believe the man being detained for interview was at the scene when the dispute broke out and has vital information about how the victim died.

The suspect, who is in his 20s, was at the property for a social gathering, with the victim and others, on Saturday night into Sunday morning when the row that proved fatal broke out.

The dead man has been named locally as Ion Daghi (39), who was originally from Moldova. He had been living in Sallins with his family, including young children, and working in the construction trade. It is understood a number of his family members were present at his rented home in Sallins Park when he was killed in the early hours of Sunday morning.

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Gardaí have sealed off the scene and the property underwent examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau on Sunday. Statements have also been taken those people who were in the house, while the man in custody has been interviewed by detectives.

Gardaí and paramedics rushed to the scene at Sallins Park after the alarm was raised at about 3.15am on Sunday. Though efforts were made to try and save the victim, he was pronounced dead a short time later. Another man present, aged 23 years, was arrested at the scene.

He was being held for questioning Naas Garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. That legislation allows for a suspect to be interview for up to 24 hours charge.

However, that time can elapse over a much longer period if a suspect needs to take rest breaks or requires any medical treatment. At the expiry of the maximum period of detention, a suspect must be charged or released without charge.

The victim’s body was removed from the scene in Sallins in a private ambulance on Sunday afternoon ahead of a postmortem examination by the Office of the State Pathologist..

An incident room has been established at Naas Garda station and a senior investigating officer has been assigned to oversee the case. A Garda family liaison officer has been appointed to keep the victim’s family informed of developments.

Conor Lally

Conor Lally

Conor Lally is Security and Crime Editor of The Irish Times