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A 22-year-old man has been remanded in custody after he was charged with the murder of mother-of-three Skaidrite Valdgeima who was fatally stabbed in a Dublin city-centre apartment.
Ms Valdgeima (34), originally from Latvia but who lived with her husband in the Deerpark Walk estate in Blessington, Co Wicklow, was killed in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
She received a number of injuries in an apartment in the Binary Hub, a student accommodation building, on Bonham St, Dublin 8, at about 3.40am and was taken to St James’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead a short time later.
Valerijs Leitons (22) a Latvian national with an address at St Kevin's Gardens, Dartry, Dublin 6, was arrested and detained in Kevin St Garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.
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He was charged late on Thursday and held overnight. He appeared before judge John Cheatle at Dublin District Court on Friday.
Evidence of arrest, charge and caution was given by Det Inspt David Harrington.
He said Mr Leitons was arrested on suspicion of the murder of Ms Valdgeima and charged at 10.08pm on Thursday.
Mr Leitons had said “no reply” when arrested or when charged, the court was told. An interpreter was present for the procedures in the Garda station, the court heard.
The defendant, dressed in a grey sweater, navy tracksuit bottoms and runners, sat silently on a bench at the side of the courtroom. The thumb of his right hand was bandaged.
He listened to the court proceedings with the assistance of a translator and did not address the court.
Mr Leitons has not indicated how he will plead. He was remanded in custody b to appear at Cloverhill District Court on July 5th next.
The judge agreed to a request from defence counsel Eamonn O’Moore to ask for medical attention “including psychiatric assistance” for Mr Leitons while in custody.
Legal aid was granted after the court heard he was in receipt of disability allowance.
Ms Valdgeima moved to Ireland in her mid-20s and completed third level education courses.
She had worked in retail, graphic design and building websites and most recently with a Dublin-based translation company.