Gardaí last night confirmed they are following a definite line of inquiry in their investigation into an assault on a 57-year-old father of two who died yesterday in hospital in Cork.
Patsy Deasy, from McGrath Park, Church Road, Blackrock, had been on a life-support machine after he suffered head injuries when he was assaulted outside the Red Cove Inn on Avenue de Rennes in Mahon on the south side of Cork city in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Gardaí said they will await the results of a postmortem at Cork University Hospital today before deciding what direction their investigation will take.
Mr Deasy died at around lunch time yesterday at Cork University Hospital with his family by his bedside.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster is due to begin a postmortem this morning.
Gardaí expect to have her preliminary findings this afternoon, when they will assess the situation and make a decision as to what course their investigation will take.
Mr Deasy, an employee of Cork City Council, was fatally injured when he was struck and knocked to the ground as he left the Red Cove Inn sometime after 12.30am on Saturday morning after attending a 60th birthday party in the pub.
A row involving some other people had taken place in the pub earlier and at least one person had been ejected.
It is understood that Mr Deasy was leaving with his wife, Ann, and was just about to go to his car when he was struck and fell backwards, hitting his head.
He was knocked unconscious and the emergency services were notified.
Mr Deasy was rushed to hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and was put on a life-support machine as he lay in an induced coma in the hope that his condition would improve.
Gardaí believe that between seven and 10 people were outside the pub at the time Mr Deasy was assaulted and they have already spoken to some of these witnesses.
They have appealed to anyone else who may have been either in the pub or saw the incident on Avenue de Rennes to contact them.
Gardaí have also begun door-to-door inquiries in the area and have begun examining CCTV footage from a number of local businesses. Garda technical experts have begun carrying out a forensic analysis on a number of samples taken from the crime scene.
