‘Cold case review’ into brutal murder of Cork pensioner

Gardaí have launched a ‘cold case review’ of the brutal murder of a pensioner whose beaten body was found bound and dumped on the floor of his Cork home almost six years ago.

A team of detectives from outside the Gurranabraher district is examining the vast Garda file on the murder of Christopher Gussie Hornibrook in 2007 in a bid to find a breakthrough in the case. Forensic evidence is also undergoing fresh analysis in the hope it may yield new clues.

The news emerged yesterday as the case was mentioned again at Cork city coroner’s court.

City coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said the matter has come before her, and been adjourned, several times over the years pending the outcome of Garda investigations. She said she could not, in law, keep adjourning the matter indefinitely.

But when Sgt Ray Dunne said gardaí are still actively investigating the case, she agreed to a further adjournment until November.

She directed that Mr Hornibrook’s family be informed of the development.

Supt Con Cadogan, who is leading the murder probe, confirmed afterwards the case is now the subject of an extensive cold case review.

Mr Hornibrook, aged 73, of Templeacre Avenue, Gurranabraher, was found dead in a downstairs room of his home on Nov 6, 2007. He had been beaten and tied up by his attackers the previous day.

The adjourned inquest previously heard that Mr Hornibrook died from a combination of blunt force trauma to the chest and neck, restraint asphyxia, in association with severe heart disease.

He was last seen at his home at 9.30pm the night before, just a few minutes after leaving Singleton’s shop on Gurranabraher Rd.

In the months that followed, a dedicated Garda team sifted through almost 1,600 questionnaires, took close to 420 statements, interviewed more than 140 taxi drivers who were working in the area that night, and trawled through 600 hours of CCTV footage.

They have used CCTV footage of Mr Hornibrook in the shop in various appeals for information over the years, and staged a reconstruction of his last known movements on the Crimecall television show.

Last November, Mr Hornibrook’s nephew, John, renewed an appeal for information, again through Crimecall.

But Supt Cadogan said despite exhaustive enquiries, nobody has ever been arrested in connection with the killing.

Several “persons of interest” have been identified and gardaí believe there are people who know what happened to Mr Hornibrook but who may be afraid to come forward.

Detectives believe one man in particular has vital information.

That man called Gurranabraher Garda Station at 9.55am on Nov 7, 2007, and spoke to Detective Garda Derek Mulcahy for five-and-a-half minutes.

The man ended the call, promising to make contact again, but to date, and despite numerous appeals from gardaí and Mr Hornibrook’s family, he has not come forward.

Supt Cadogan said as a result of the cold case review, detectives may call to certain people to clarify information in their original statements.

- Anyone with information can contact gardaí at Gurranabraher on 021 4946200 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111.