Man charged with murder of Dermot Byrne in Swords

A 29-year-old man has been remanded in custody after appearing in court on Friday charged with the murder of father-of-three Dermot Byrne in Swords in Co Dublin.

The businessman and pool player, who was aged 54 and lived in Swords, had been socialising in the town when he was attacked at North Street in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Gardaí arrived at about 3.05am and he was attended to by medical personnel but was subsequently pronounced dead.

The accused, Anthony Walsh, who is of no fixed abode, was remanded in custody for one week by Judge Fiona Lydon at Dublin District Court on Friday.

‘I had to take off my clothes, I got very upset. I felt I had committed some crime’

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Garda Killian Leydon told the court that the accused was arrested at 4.45pm on Thursday in the grounds of St James’s Hospital in Dublin.

He was brought to Swords Garda station and charged, to which “he made no reply”.

There were minor applications to amend the charge sheets to correct the defendant’s age and to insert “no fixed abode” as his address.

Legal aid

Several members of the victim’s family wept quietly as they watched the proceedings from the public gallery.

Mr Walsh sat silently with his head bowed during the hearing on Friday.

His solicitor, Jonathan Dunphy, asked the court for an order for medical attention to be given to his client.

The judge agreed and she also granted free legal aid to Mr Walsh on the basis of a statement of means furnished to the court.

The defence solicitor told the court that Mr Walsh was not working and has been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance.

Bail cannot be granted in the District Court in murder cases and can only be considered by the High Court.