Eugene Gillespie death: Gardaí arrest man

Detectives in Sligo have arrested a suspect over the violent murder of pensioner Eugene Gillespie.

The 68-year-old was badly beaten, tied up and left for dead for up to two days before he was discovered in his home last Friday night.

A man aged in his 20s was arrested this morning in Sligo.

He is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at Sligo garda station.

Earlier this week it emerged a phone call was made to gardaí that a man had been tied up in a house with a brown gate the day before the pensioner was discovered.

Gardaí said they went to a property and found nothing untoward.

The next night Mr Gillespie was discovered with his hands tied behind his back in another property in the town.

He may have lain injured for two days before he was found in his home on Old Market Street – less than 100m from the town’s garda station.

He died in hospital on Saturday.

The former shopkeeper was popular in his home town, and was a vintage car enthusiast who took a lead role in organising rallies in the area.