Gardai refuse to comment on Clonmel deaths

Gardai in Co Tipperary have released a statement saying they will not be making any further comment on the deaths of Corkman Christopher Crowley and his six-year-old daughter Deirdre yesterday.

The pair’s bodies were found in a rented house in Clonmel yesterday. Mr Crowley is believed to have shot his daughter and then turned the gun on himself.

The Garda Commissioner has appointed a senior officer to examine all aspects of the case and to send a file to the coroner. An inquest will then be carried out.

It emerged today that Gardai had called to the door of the house on Clonville Road in Clonmel and had spoken to Mr Crowley just minutes before the shootings.

They believed they had finally tracked down Mr Crowley, who abducted his daughter from her mother in Co Cork 21 months ago during a weekend visit. The couple had broken up a year previously.