THE FAMILY of murdered teenager Niall Dorr (18) yesterday renewed their appeal for anybody with information on his killing to contact gardaí if they have not already done so.
His inquest, which opened at Dundalk Coroner’s Court yesterday, also heard that five people have benefited from the decision to donate his organs.
The inquest was told by Insp John Foudy that the investigation into the murder of the kick-boxing champion “is at an advanced stage”.
The court heard that a post-mortem carried out by State Pathologist Marie Cassidy concluded he died from head injuries due to “blunt force trauma”. She carried out her examination the day after he died last year.
Mr Dorr had been attacked by a number of people as he walked along Castle Road, Dundalk, shortly after 9pm on October 13th.
The inquest heard that after two brain-stem tests were carried out in the intensive care unit of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, he was pronounced dead.
Adjourning the inquest, at the request of Insp Foudy, coroner Ronan Maguire expressed his “heartfelt sympathy” to his family. He said Mr Dorr’s death had “touched the entire town of Dundalk; any words I say are of no consolation”. He said his death was “an appalling tragedy”. Mr Maguire said he wanted “to put on the public record” the generosity of the Dorr family in donating the young man’s organs.
He said there had been five successful transplants. One of his kidneys was given to a 15-year-old girl who had been on dialysis for two years, the other kidney had been given to a 40-year-old diabetic, his liver had gone to a 60-year-old man and his heart and lungs to a 48-year-old man.
Mr Maguire had received a letter from Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and he said all the recipients “are doing very well and leading dramatically improved lives solely due to your donating”.
“I want to express my admiration at your humanity,” he said.
Speaking after the inquest, Niall Dorr’s father, David, renewed the family’s appeal to anybody who had not yet come forward with information to do so.