A roundup of today's other home news in brief
Gardaí start investigation after man’s body found in recycling bin
GARDAÍ HAVE started an investigation after a man’s body was discovered at a waste sorting facility near Listowel in Co Kerry, writes Anne Lucey.
Workers at South West Bins on Wheels Ltd discovered the body in a large bin at about 4pm yesterday at the plant, some three miles east of the town. The scene was being preserved ahead of the arrival of the State pathologist, gardaí said last night. A postmortem is expected to be carried out on the body at Kerry General Hospital in Tralee this morning.
A Garda spokesman said detectives were keeping an open mind until the results of the postmortem became available. However, the body may have been in the bin overnight, the spokesman said.
Sources said the man may be in his 30s and was visiting the town for the annual Harvest Festival race meeting.
Gardaí were last night examining a number of possibilities including that he entered the bin by accident or that he was placed there.
Woman (90) dies in Cork housing complex fire
A 90-year-old woman lost her life in a fire at a housing complex for the elderly in Skibbereen, west Cork yesterday. Her 88-year-old brother was treated for minor injuries in hospital.
A neighbour spotted smoke coming from the flat of May O’Regan and her brother Jack, as he walked along the Convent Hill area of Skibbereen at 4.40am yesterday.
He raised the alarm and two fire brigade units from Skibbereen and Schull went to the scene along with two units from the HSE’s Southern Regional Ambulance Service. Firefighters forced their way into the house in a bid to save May O’Regan.
However, all efforts to revive her failed. Her brother Jack, who was also in the house, suffered minor smoke inhalation but was not seriously injured in the blaze. They had lived together all their lives as neither of them had ever married.
Mr O’Regan was taken to Bantry General Hospital where he was treated for shock and smoke inhalation.
Brazilians to face trial over Irishman’s murder
A BRAZILIAN man has been remanded in custody accused of killing 51-year-old Irish businessman Paul Houston in Portugal, writes Tom Worden.
A judge ordered the 26 year old jailed until his trial for beating the Irishman to death on the Algarve. He appeared in court in Portimao on Thursday evening charged with homicide and robbery.
A 19-year-old Brazilian charged with the same offences was released on bail by the judge. He must report regularly to police and has had his passport confiscated.
Mr Houston was killed while on holiday with his wife in the seaside town of Alvor.
Detectives said the suspects were about to flee to South America, and were in possession of coach tickets to Lisbon and plane tickets to Rio de Janeiro. A police spokesman said: “The 26 year old was remanded in custody and the 19 year old was released on bail. Both were charged with homicide and robbery, and they will both face trial at a later date.”
Three get prison term for burglary
THREE MEN have been convicted of burglary and received prison sentences less than 36 hours after they ram-raided a pharmacy.
The men were in a Ford Mondeo which reversed into the Mullingar pharmacy at Blackhall, Mullingar in the early hours of Thursday morning.
They were convicted before lunch yesterday, at Longford District Court, and sentenced to 11 months imprisonment at Castlerea.
The three were Karolis Skrickis (21), The Lawns, Drogheda; Marius Baciulis (19), Martello Village, Drogheda and Saulius Puzinkevicius (24), Roseville, Drogheda.
No property was taken during the raid, but it was indicated that they had intended stealing cosmetics because they are easy to sell on for cash.
The three men, who have been in the country for at least three years, are currently unemployed.
Each was granted legal aid. When asked why they had not returned to their native Lithuania, Mr Louis Kiernan said his clients had worked here during good times and now had family and connections here.
They regretted the offence.