Murder probe as body found in derelict house

A MURDER investigation was launched yesterday after the charred remains of a man were found in a burnt- out Victorian mansion.

In Clontarf, north Dublin, gardaí were alerted to a fire at the derelict house overnight. The blaze broke out at Redcourt House, on Seafield Road East, just before 3am yesterday.

Four units of Dublin Fire Brigade attended the fire.

A developer had left the building in a state of disrepair and at least two men, known local drinkers, were squatting in it. The house has been empty for at least four years.

At about 4am, a man appeared at the local Garda station covered in blood.

Gardaí subsequently found the body of a man in his mid-40s in the gutted house.

The man is believed to be from Raheny.

He is thought to have sustained a fatal blow during a brawl with another homeless man in the building and to have died before the fire started.

The blaze is thought to have started with newspapers that were set alight.

Gardaí said yesterday that the man’s identity could not be confirmed due to the state of the body.

The investigation though was upgraded from suspected arson to murder.

A 38-year-old man was arrested and detained at Raheny Garda Station in connection with the investigation.

Meanwhile, in south Dublin, an investigation was launched into the discovery of a woman’s body in a run-down house.

The property, on 47 Rathgar Road, was sealed off yesterday as forensic gardaí examined the scene.

The eastern European woman’s body was found by her husband shortly before midnight on Wednesday. The 43-year-old is believed to be from the Ukraine.

Locals said they had heard no disturbances at the house, which was believed to have been a set of bedsits for a time.

Workers at the local Spar shop said nobody had been seen coming and going from the south Dublin residence for some time. It is thought its previous female owner died three years ago and the building was sold.

Locals said it was run-down and some back windows were boarded up.

Gardaí checked the front door yesterday to see if it had been forced and searched for clues in the overgrown garden.

Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis examined the body at the scene.

A post mortem on the woman’s body was inconclusive last night and further tests over the next week will be carried out.

Gardaí, however, do not suspect foul play.