Gardaí seek public’s help in murder probe

GARDAÍ investigating the murder of a man in West Cork last night issued an appeal for help in tracing his final movements.

Detectives have used CCTV footage from around Bandon to piece together a picture of British man John Forrester’s last hours.

Inspector Brendan Fogarty said gardaí would like to hear from anyone who saw Mr Forrester from about 6pm last Saturday.

“We are very grateful to the people of Bandon for the level of cooperation we have received in recent days,” he said.

The body of the 42-year-old unemployed man was recovered from the River Bandon on Tuesday.

He had been stabbed in the face and neck, beaten with a blunt instrument and was found in the river wrapped in a rug with his hands and legs tied with electrical cable.

The O’Callaghan’s flats complex remained sealed off yesterday as officers from the Garda Technical Bureau continued their forensic examination of two flats.

Gardaí found blood in Mr Forrester’s flat on the building’s ground floor and believe he was assaulted there before being dumped in the river.

Tests are being conducted to establish whether he was dead before entering the water.

Detectives are still trying to identify a murder weapon and have recovered several items from within the flats complex, and from the river bank and river nearby for forensic tests.

Meanwhile, murder victim Jonathan Duke will be buried tomorrow following the release of his body to his family yesterday.

The body of the 27-year-old father of one was found in the river in Bandon in the early hours of Monday.

His remains will lie at the home of his mother Michelle in the Deerpark estate in the town from 3pm to 7pm today, followed by the rosary.

The body will be received in to St Patrick’s Church in the town at 11.30am tomorrow followed by requiem Mass, and burial afterwards in the adjoining ceremony.