Crime & Law

Man held and swords examined after Dublin mother-of-two killed

Chief suspect is known to woman and was arrested after confrontation with gardaí

Garda forensics personnel at the scene of a fatal assault at a house in Willow Wood, Blanchardstown, on Sunday afternoon, in which a woman died. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Garda forensics personnel at the scene of a fatal assault at a house in Willow Wood, Blanchardstown, on Sunday afternoon, in which a woman died. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Conor Lally Security and Crime Editor
Sun Jun 21 2020 - 17:18

Gardaí are investigating the murder of a woman at a house in west Dublin and have arrested the chief suspect in the case.

The suspect and the female victim were known to each other and the killing occurred in the woman’s family home in the Willow Wood area of Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, just after 11am on Sunday.

A number of weapons have been taken from the property, including a Samurai sword, and they were due to be examined as it was suspected they were used during the fatal attack.

Garda forensics personnel at the scene of a fatal assault at a house in Willow Wood, Blanchardstown, on Sunday afternoon, in which a woman died. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Garda forensics personnel at the scene of a fatal assault at a house in Willow Wood, Blanchardstown, on Sunday afternoon, in which a woman died. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Gardaí attend after a fatal assault at a house in Willow Wood, Blanchardstown. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Gardaí attend after a fatal assault at a house in Willow Wood, Blanchardstown. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

The female victim, who is middle-aged, suffered fatal injuries in the attack inside the house and died at the scene. Her body remained at the house on Sunday afternoon and was due to undergo a preliminary investigation in situ by a pathologist before being removed for a full postmortem.

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While the investigation would not be upgraded to a murder inquiry until after the postmortem was completed, all the resources of a murder investigation were immediately committed to the case.

The woman is originally from west Dublin and has worked in retailing. She was married and had two adult children.

The alarm was raised after a person, who may have witnessed some of the fatal attack, ran to a nearby house, where the emergency services were alerted.

Garda forensics personnel at the scene of a fatal assault at a house in Willow Wood, Blanchardstown, on Sunday afternoon, in which a woman died. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Garda forensics personnel at the scene of a fatal assault at a house in Willow Wood, Blanchardstown, on Sunday afternoon, in which a woman died. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

When gardaí arrived at the scene the suspect was inside the house and he was arrested after a confrontation involving gardaí, who forced their way into the property. It is understood a number of less than lethal weapons, including stun grenades, were deployed by gardaí as they entered the house by force.

The suspect, a middle-aged man, sustained a number of injuries and after being arrested he was initially taken to Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, for treatment.

A statement from Garda Headquarters said the man was being detained on Sunday afternoon at Blanchardstown Garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

The house where the killing took place was sealed off immediately when gardai arrived and was undergoing an examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.

While the motive, if any, for the attack was unclear, gardaí are treating the man in custody as the chief suspect in the case and were not looking for anyone else at this time.

Conor Lally

Conor Lally

Conor Lally is Security and Crime Editor of The Irish Times