Man arrested over pensioner's murder

A man was arrested today in connection with the murder of a pensioner found with his throat slit.

The body of Vincent Plunkett (aged 80), who was a convicted stalker, was found on August 14 last in a sheltered housing unit in Dublin’s south inner city.

Gardaí at Kevin Street confirmed a 22-year-old man was arrested shortly before 7.30am in the capital.

The man is being held for questioning under Section Four of the Criminal Justice Act at Kevin Street Garda Station.

A visiting home help found Mr Plunkett’s body after calling to the ground floor apartment at Robinson’s Court, Cork Street.

A post-mortem examination showed the pensioner suffered a violent death with stab injuries to his head and throat.

Mr Plunkett, a retired traffic warden from Athlone, Co Westmeath, was given a three-month suspended sentence and fined eight years ago for terrorising a young married couple.

Brian and Michelle Mullen alleged the then 72-year-old put dog faeces through their door, sent 30 abusive letters to their home and wrongly accused Mr Mullen of being a homosexual, drug dealer and Garda informer.

Three months after the court case the 24-year-old father of a four-year-old girl hanged himself.