Widespread grief, anger at violent death of Sligo man

THE GARDA investigation into the brutal killing of Sligo man Eugene Gillespie has been upgraded to murder, amid an outpouring of grief and anger in the community.

Mr Gillespie (67) was found on Friday evening, unconscious and lying in the hallway of his home at Old Market Street with his hands tied behind his back. Mr Gillespie, who was known for his love of the Irish language and his interest in vintage cars, history and current affairs, suffered appalling injuries as his attacker apparently demanded that he hand over money. His hands were so tightly bound with cable wire that circulation was blocked. He also suffered severe head injuries.

While gardaí would not confirm the postmortem results “for operational reasons”, the savage nature of the attack and the fact that he may have been there for up to two days has shocked local people.

Garda Supt Mary Murray, who is heading the investigation, confirmed that “quite an amount” of CCTV footage from the area was being analysed with 30 gardaí involved in the investigation.

While it is widely believed that more than one person was involved in the attack, no specific line of inquiry is being pursued.

A popular resident of Sligo, Mr Gillespie’s killing has prompted calls for a clampdown on violence, with one Sligo man offering to organise a reward for information leading to the conviction of his killers.

Declan Foley, an Australia-based friend of Mr Gillespie, said it was “inhuman” to leave anyone in that situation without summoning help. He said the response to his idea of a reward had been “astounding”. Mr Gillespie had no interest in money as long as he had a warm bed, “a bit of bread” and his cars, he added.

Sligo solicitor Joe Carter, another friend, said that of all the people who did not deserve such a fate, “he certainly did not”. Mr Gillespie was “so far removed from violence” himself that it underlined the brutality of what was done to him.

Local radio station Ocean FM was bombarded with calls and texts yesterday from Sligo people who knew Mr Gillespie, with many who recalled his friendly and kind demeanour, outraged that he had been left to die when a phone call might have saved his life.

His cousin Eddie Gillespie said the family was still in shock. He said Eugene had been found by family members who could not make contact. Garda Supt Murray appealed to pedestrians, taxi drivers, business people and anyone who was in the vicinity of Old Market Street from 9pm on Wednesday to 9.20pm last Friday to contact Sligo gardaí if they had information on 071-9157000, or the Garda confidential telephone line on 1800-666 111.