Murder-accused brother and sister face court
A brother and sister charged with the murder of 63-year-old Thomas Horan, who was found dead in his sheltered accommodation apartment in Dublin, were further remanded in custody today.
The body of Mr Horan, who was believed to have originally come from Mullingar, Co Westmeath, was found at his home on January 6 last at Cambridge Court, a housing complex in Irishtown, where he had been living for about four years.
Gardaí had received a 999 alert call following the discovery of his body in the bedroom of his ground-floor flat.
A doctor pronounced him dead at the scene and the area was immediately sealed off for a technical examination.
A full post mortem carried out on January 8 by the State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy revealed that Mr Horan had died from internal injuries, and a murder investigation was launched.
Last month, brother and sister Kenneth (aged 27) and Sabrina Cummins (aged 36), both with addresses at Ringsend Park in Dublin 4, were charged with murdering the 63-year-old man at his home on January 6.
They made no reply when charged and had been remanded in custody following an appearance at Dublin District Court which had also ordered that they were to get appropriate medical attention.
Today, the siblings appeared again at the same court before Judge Michael Walsh who was told by Garda detectives Bryan Hunt and David Wogan that a four-week adjournment was required to allow time for books of evidence to be completed.
Both remained silent at the brief hearing today and have not yet indicated how they will plead.
They were further remanded in custody pending their next hearing on March 13.
