Garda probe after man’s body found in field

GARDAÍ were last night investigating the death of a man whose body was discovered yesterday morning in a field in Co Kildare.

The grim discovery came as gardaí investigating a separate shooting in Finglas last December arrested eight people in Bray, while also probing whether the shooting on Tuesday of a woman in an apparent case of mistaken identity was linked to the Finglas shooting.

Gardaí did not formally identify the man found in Co Kildare, but there are fears it could be 30-year-old Jason O’Dea, who has been missing from his Dublin city centre accommodation since the end of November.

The discovery was made at 10.30am yesterday at Moyvalley, Broadford, by a person walking through the area.

It is understood the victim was face down when the body was discovered. He has not been formally identified and the post mortem will not take place until today. The body remained at the scene pending the arrival of the state pathologist and members of the Garda Technical Bureau.

O’Dea has been missing from his home at Buckingham Street Lower, in Dublin since November 27. His family had expressed concern over his whereabouts and gardaí issued a number of appeals in a bid to trace him.

He is described as 5’6” in height and of slight build, with brown hair and green eyes. He was wearing dark jeans, a white jumper and a white jacket with dark bands when last seen.

In Bray in Co Wicklow gardaí are investigating a shooting incident in Greenpark Road in which a woman was shot in the hip in an apparent case of mistaken identity.

The incident took place at about 7.30pm on Tuesday when the woman, who is in her 40s, was injured in the lower back when shots were fired through the window of a house in the Greenpark Road area.

She was taken by ambulance to St Vincent’s Hospital where she was being treated yesterday. Her injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

The scene of the incident has been sealed off for a forensic examination.

Gardaí are investigating whether the case is linked to the shooting of Glen McGrath, 40, outside the Cappagh Nua Pub in Finglas last December.

Gardaí arrested eight people yesterday in Bray as part of their investigations into the McGrath shooting on December 30 last.

Five men, aged 26 to 46 years, and three women aged 31, 26 and 29 were arrested as gardaí carried out a number of searches in properties in Bray. They also searched the area near St Gerard’s School at Thornhill Road and it is understood an AK47 machine gun was found.

All those arrested were held under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939 and were questioned in stations in Bray, Dún Laoghaire, Blanchardstown, Finglas and Cabra.

Bray gardaí have appealed for information regarding the shooting of the woman on Greenpark Road.