A man was stabbed to death by a visitor as he lay in his hospital bed in Dublin last night. A man was arrested at the scene and is helping the gardai with their inquiries.
The victim, who will not be named until he is formally identified this morning, was alone in a room in St James's Hospital when he was stabbed by another man at about 8 p.m. The victim was aged 52.
No weapon was found. The area was sealed off and a Garda forensic team will examine the area this morning.
A man was visiting the victim at the time of the attack and there was no suggestion of a break-in to the hospital, according to a Garda spokesman.
St James's is the biggest hospital in Dublin and occupies a large site in the south inner city and has a number of entrances.
The victim was in the section of the hospital known as Hospital Five.
A man was arrested in the area and taken to Kilmainham Garda Station where he was being questioned last night under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. He can be held for up to 12 hours, not including the time he spends asleep. The man being questioned by gardai is in his 40s.
Gardai were unaware of any motive for the killing last night and neither man was known to them. The Garda spokesman dismissed suggestions of any criminal or drug links to the incident. Both men originally come from outside Dublin but have been living in the vicinity of the hospital for several years.