Man, 36, charged in woman’s murder

A man has been charged with the murder of a woman whose body was found after her house was set alight.

Darren Murphy, aged 36, with an address at Dan Desmond Villas in Passage West, Co Cork, was brought before Cork District Court yesterday, where he was remanded in custody after being charged with the murder of Olivia Dunlea-O’Brien at her home in Pembroke Crescent, Passage West, on Sunday.

Ms Dunlea-O’Brien’s body was found in the badly burnt bedroom of her two-storey semi-detached home in the early hours of Sunday after emergency services responded to reports of a fire at the house.

An autopsy confirmed she had been stabbed several times in the upper body.

Garda Anthony Harrington, based at Togher Garda Station, told Judge Leo Malone that he arrested Mr Murphy at Dan Desmond Villas at 10.30pm on Sunday.

He said he charged him at Togher Garda Station at 12pm yesterday with Ms Dunlea-O’Brien’s murder, contrary to common law.

Mr Murphy made no reply when charged, Garda Harrington told the court.

The accused, who was dressed in grey tracksuit pants and a round-neck striped jumper, stood in silence at the side of the courtroom with his head bowed.

He did not speak during the brief hearing.

Garda Inspector Finbarr O’Sullivan applied for Mr Murphy to be remanded in custody.

Judge Malone remanded him in custody to appear via video link before Cork District Court again tomorrow morning for service of the book of evidence.

Mr Murphy’s solicitor, Emmet Boyle, said his client is unemployed and he applied for, and was granted, free legal aid.

He also said certain concerns have arisen for his client’s well-being and he asked the court to direct the prison authorities to arrange for a psychiatric assessment of his client. Judge Malone granted the request.

Ms Dunlea-O’Brien’s remains were removed from O’Connor Brothers funeral home at North Gate Bridge last night to the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Ballinlough.

She will be buried in Kilcully Cemetery after 11am requiem Mass today.

Her family has asked that donations be made in lieu of flowers to the children’s leukaemia ward at the Mercy University Hospital.