Weekend of violence and tragedy

A MAN was released without charge last night as gardaí continued their investigations into the suspicious death of an Albanian woman in Sligo after a weekend of violence and tragedy.

Three people died over the weekend, one man was shot, another stabbed and a teenager was left fighting for his life when he was found unconscious on the roadside in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The man was arrested just after 10am and was quizzed for 12 hours under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

Another man arrested on Saturday in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, was also released without charge.

The Albanian woman was in her mid-20s, and was named as Lindita Kokaii. It is believed she suffered a violent death.

She had lived in Sligo for some months and was found dead on the floor of a flat on Wolfe Tone Street early on Saturday morning.

A post mortem was carried out by State Pathologist, Marie Cassidy, at Sligo General Hospital yesterday.

A man is in a stable condition at St Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny, following a stabbing incident in the city.

He received a chest wound during a fracas at Ballybought Street, Kilkenny, on Saturday night.

A 28-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident and released yesterday morning.

A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Gardaí are investigating a shooting in Dublin on Saturday. Three men fired shots from a car in St Dominic’s Park, Coolock, at 8.45am. A man suffered injuries to the stomach and leg. He was taken to Beaumont Hospital where he underwent surgery. He was in a stable condition last night.

Meanwhile, a 16-year-old Co Wexford teenager is recovering in hospital after being found unconscious on a roadway.

He was rushed by ambulance to Wexford General Hospital where he was placed on a life support machine. He later regained consciousness.

The youth was last seen in the company of a 17-year-old at 2.00am on Sunday morning on a road near the village of Kilmuckridge. The 17-year-old was later found at a friend’s house after a garda search.

A garda spokesman said the episode was drink related.

A 53-year-old single man died in a house fire in Co Kilkenny.

Neighbours alerted the emergency services after smoke was seen coming from his house in the village of Freshford, eight miles from the city, at around 7.40 am yesterday morning.

Firemen found the body of Mr Martin Chandley, No 33 Woodview, Freshford, in the upstairs hallway of the house. Foul play is not suspected.

A man died in St James’ Hospital after a road accident in Dublin.

The man, 67, was the driver of a car that crashed into a pole on Harold’s Cross Road at 6.20pm on Saturday evening.