Gardaí quiz seven over shooting

SEVEN people were quizzed at the weekend by gardaí investigating the murder of a young father shot in front of his girlfriend earlier this month.

A 30-year-old man was among the seven held in three different garda stations in Cork city in relation to the death of John Butler in the early hours of October 7.

The man and another male in his fifties were arrested by gardaí last night following the arrest of a woman in the in the city earlier in the day.

The 20-year-old from Knocknaheeny Avenue in the city’s Northside died after being shot as he walked home along Gurranabraher Road. Rachel Thornhill, his 20-year-old partner and mother of their three-year-old son, Jamie, was with him when he was killed.

It is believed Mr Butler had been involved in a dispute outside a chip shop on nearby Blarney Street shortly before the fatal gun attack. On Saturday morning, gardaí arrested three men in their twenties from the same area of the city under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. Two were taken to Gurranabraher Garda Station and another to Mayfield station.

Later on Saturday, a man in his fifties was also arrested and brought to the Bridewell station in the city.

He was held under the same legislation, which allows gardaí question a person for up to three days before being charged or released. The young woman was arrested by gardaí on the Northside of Cork City around lunchtime yesterday and was also taken to the Bridewell Garda Station for questioning.

The arrests followed the discovery almost two weeks ago of a car which was believed to have been used by the gunman on the night of the murder.

The car was found on a farm a few miles from the city near Blarney.

However, follow-up searches failed to discover the murder weapon, which is believed to have been a double-barrel shotgun. A 26-year old man arrested on Saturday was released last night.