Woman expected to be charged in connection with man's death

A WOMAN is expected to be charged this morning in connection with the death of a father-of-two.

Declan O'Neill, 48, died after being hit over the head with a hammer in his bed in a quiet Dublin suburb.

His body was found by gardaí early yesterday morning.

His two sons, aged 14 and 21, were not in the family home in Knocklyon, south Dublin, at the time of the killing.

They had spent last Sunday at the cinema and later stayed overnight at a relatives home, during which time their father is thought to have been killed.

A woman was arrested at 5am yesterday in Co Wicklow and detained at Rathfarnham Garda Station, where she was held in custody overnight.

She will appear before Tallaght District Court this morning and is expected to be charged with assault causing harm.

Mr O'Neill's brutal death shocked the middle-class estate of Coolamber Park, and neighbours declined to talk about it yesterday.

Gardaí were dispatched to 45 Coolamber Park after a call was made to gardaí in Ashford, Co Wicklow.

When officers arrived at the scene at 2am yesterday they found the bloodied body of Mr O'Neill in a front, upstairs bedroom.

Detective Inspector Seamus Kane, who is leading the investigation, said the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The detached house was immediately sealed off, pending the arrival of experts from the Garda Technical Bureau and State Pathologist Professor John Harbison.

Technical experts examined a number of items at the scene, including a hammer and a knife.

A dark grey Ford Fiesta was parked in the driveway as technical experts combed the house for clues.

Meanwhile, officers conducted house-to-house inquiries in the quiet cul-de-sac. The O'Neill family are thought to have moved into the area around seven years ago.