Charity that managed apartment where man’s body lay undiscovered checked flat over weekend

A homeless charity which managed the apartment where a man’s body is understood to have lain undiscovered for a number of days checked the flat over the weekend but found “no indication” that someone was deceased.

A spokesman for the Peter McVerry Trust, which managed the apartment in Dublin’s north inner city under the Housing First programme, said staff had visited the property “daily, including over the weekend, and they had no indication or evidence that someone was deceased at the property or in the vicinity.”

The investigation into the death of the man who was found with head injuries was upgraded to a murder inquiry on Tuesday.

The Irish Times understands the man suffered a violent assault and had been dead for some time, possibly more than one week, before the alarm was raised.

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The man’s body was found at about 6.20pm on Monday in Kevin Barry House on Coleraine Street after gardaí and emergency services were called.

The flat where the remains were found was sealed off as a crime scene when gardaí and paramedics arrived.

The remains were examined at the scene by a pathologist on Tuesday morning before being removed for a postmortem. While that examination was continuing on Tuesday, sources said it was confirmed the man had been assaulted and the inquiry was now a murder investigation.

The Housing First service engages with adults who experience rough sleeping, supports them into temporary homeless accommodation and makes appropriate referrals to permanent housing options.

The apartment where the man’s body was discovered was being used to accommodate another person but it is understood that up to six other people were in the apartment when gardaí arrived.

The tenant in the property matched the criteria for the programme based on “level of vulnerability and a significant history of rough sleeping,” a spokeswoman for The Peter McVerry Trust told The Irish Times.

“Unfortunately, the tenancy began to break down over recent months as the tenant was struggling to manage the front door and individuals, who had no interest in the property or the tenant’s recovery, were gaining entry to and using the property,” she said.

“Steps were actively taken to support the client to surrender the tenancy with a view to being supported in another tenancy elsewhere.”

Gardaí believe a number of people had been “coming and going” from the flat over the last week, though it appears they did not realise the man was dead in the property. While the property had not been abandoned and was not a squat, it was described as an “open house” by gardaí.

The scene where the body was found was examined by members of the Garda Technical Bureau. The man’s remains had begun to decompose and DNA or dental records will be required to confirm his identity.

Pat Doyle, chief executive of the Peter McVerry Trust, said the charity was “saddened at the loss of a young life and wish to express our sympathies to the family of the deceased.”

“Housing First helps some of the most vulnerable in our society. 86 per cent of the tenancies under Housing First are successful, but unfortunately this was one of the 14 per cent which was clearly failing over recent months.”

“Peter McVerry Trust is fully co-operating with the Garda and is mindful of the impact on our own staff who deal with very complex situations on a daily basis, on the tenant whose tenancy has been ruptured, and on the broader community,” Mr Doyle said.

Christy Burke, former Lord Mayor of Dublin and Independent councillor for the north inner city, said the local community was shocked by the discovery and that his sympathies were with the man’s family and friends.