An American man in his 60s had arrived in Ireland to assist his son, amid concerns due to the way the younger man was acting, hours before he was fatally assaulted in the leisure complex of the luxury five-star resort Ballyfin Demesne in Co Laois.
The victim’s son, who is in his 30s and is also from the US, is a suspect for the fatal assault, and remained in Garda custody on Wednesday night.
The crime scene inside the country house hotel, located on the 600-acre demesne, was sealed off throughout Wednesday, and underwent an examination by Garda forensic experts following the assault on Tuesday night. The victim, who had travelled from New York, was found injured and unresponsive just before 8pm.
The Garda investigation team is expected to liaise with the Director of Public Prosecutions on Thursday regarding possible criminal charges in the case.
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The man being questioned was described as having “vulnerabilities”. He had been travelling in Europe and was in Ireland on his own for a period. He had this week undergone medical treatment while in Ireland amid concerns for his welfare due to the way he was acting.
It is understood the victim had travelled from the US in a bid to help the younger man through his difficulties. He checked into Ballyfin on Tuesday, where both men were guests.
Although the suspect was taken into custody on Tuesday evening, he has since required medical treatment. The maximum period of 24 hours that he can be questioned for was suspended while he was being treated. His detention period was also expected to be suspended into Thursday morning to allow the suspect to rest.
A Garda family liaison officer has been assigned to the victim’s family, some of whom were expected to travel to Ireland.
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