Two held over murder of man in Irishtown

A man in his 60s was killed in his home in an old folks complex after inviting into his flat the people now suspected of his murder.

Thomas Horan, a 63-year-old separated man originally from Mullingar, Co Westmeath, but a long term resident of Dublin, was found strangled to death in his flat in the Irishtown area of the south inner city in the early hours of Monday morning.

A 27-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman are being questioned about the killing after their arrests on the north side of the city this afternoon.

Both are known to gardaí and are being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. They can be questioned for up to 24 hours without charge.

Supt Dave Taylor said Mr Horan had lived for a number of years at the property where he was killed and was quiet but well known to the other residents in the scheme.

“Thomas was a quiet man and very well respected by his neighbours; he enjoyed his music and was a popular and inoffensive man,” he said.

“We’re appealing to anyone who may have seen suspicious or unusual activity between 10pm on Sunday and 4am on Monday at Cambridge Court to come forward.”

Gardaí received an emergency call from a woman at around 4am on Monday alerting them to the fact that Mr Horan was injured and unresponsive in his flat at Cambridge Court, Cambridge Road, Irishtown.

When gardaí and paramedics arrived on the scene they found Mr Horan in the bedroom of his ground floor flat. He was given medical treatment in an attempt to revive him, but was pronounced dead at the scene.

There were no signs of a break-in at the flat and gardaí believe Mr Horan invited the suspects into his home late on Sunday night or into the early hours of Monday morning.

Detectives are working on the theory that the suspects turned on Mr Horan inside the flat and attacked him while robbing him.

There were no obvious signs of injury on his body and initially it was unclear if he had been killed or died of natural causes. However, gardaí in Irishtown suspected foul play.

The flat was sealed off and has undergone a forensic examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.

Mr Horan's remains were taken to the mortuary in Marino, north Dublin, where a post mortem was begun by State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy, which has since determined he was strangled.

A murder investigation based at Irishtown garda station was formally begun this afternoon.