Man being questioned over death of woman

A 32-YEAR-OLD man was last night being questioned at Waterford Garda station after a mother- of-three was found dead at a house on a local authority housing estate early yesterday.

Gardaí found Co Tipperary woman Brenda Ahern dead after suffering serious head injuries at about 2.30am yesterday. A Garda source believed that the woman had been “attacked with a poker” at her sister’s family home.

Local sources said that Ms Ahern had been babysitting her twin sister Lisa’s two-week-old infant Saoirse and two other daughters at Lisa Ahern’s home in Richardson’s Meadow, Kilcohan, near the city centre.

A mother of three girls aged between seven and 13, Ms Ahern had been living with her sister and her partner John at Kilcohan, before moving with her own daughters to a house in Woodlawn Grove, locals said yesterday.

Another sister had been looking after Brenda Ahern’s children at Woodlawn Grove when the attack occurred, locals said yesterday. The Ahern family are originally from Clonmel in Co Tipperary.

A man, who was known to Brenda Ahern, was arrested in the early hours of yesterday and was held at Waterford Garda station under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

The man, who was still being questioned late last night, can be detained for up to 24 hours. Gardaí last night could not confirm whether charges would be brought this morning.

Ms Ahern’s body was taken to Waterford Regional Hospital, while gardaí preserved the scene pending technical examination and requested the assistance of State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy.

Dr Cassidy carried out a postmortem yesterday and while no results were released, it is expected to reveal that she died from head injuries.

Shocked neighbours in the estate yesterday morning gathered in groups, discussing the incident.

Lisa Ahern’s next-door neighbour Daniel Oluwafami yesterday said: “I just heard the ambulance. I met John outside and I asked him what happened and he explained it to me, there were policemen there then. It is terrible, they are good friends,” said Mr Oluwafami.

Other neighbours who gathered around their front doors were also shocked at the news of Ms Ahern’s killing, in the quiet cul-de-sac at Kilcohan

“I knew of the girl, I know her sister [Lisa],” said one. “It is normally quiet here.”

Another neighbour added: “She [Brenda] was actually a twin to Lisa, they kept to themselves.You’d never see them out, but I was only talking to Lisa at the wall there yesterday.”

Gardaí last night said that they were not looking for anyone else in relation to Ms Ahern’s death.