A MAN who was arrested yesterday following the killing of a mother-of-four in her home in the early hours of yesterday morning is expected to appear in court today.
It appears the chief suspect left the house to tell gardaí he had stabbed the woman without realising she was still alive.
The victim, 43-year-old Joan Vickers, was stabbed several times in the throat during the attack at a house in East Wall, north Dublin.
Gardaí were alerted to the incident when two men walked into Raheny Garda station at about 6am.
An ambulance was called and went to the victim’s home on Shelmalier Road.
Ms Vickers was still alive when the ambulance crew reached her. She was taken to the Mater hospital. Despite efforts to save her she was pronounced dead at about 6.45am.
Ms Vickers was attacked in an upstairs bedroom of the family home some time after 5am. The scene was sealed off immediately Ms Vickers was taken from the house. Members of the Garda Technical Bureau carried out a forensic examination of the property yesterday.
A kitchen knife was taken for examination. Gardaí believe the knife was the weapon used in the attack.
Ms Vickers’s four children, three of whom are under the age of 16 and live in the family home, were not in the house when their mother was killed. They are believed to have been staying with relatives and friends.
However, the victim’s elderly father was asleep in a downstairs room at the time of the attack.
The two men who walked into Raheny Garda station were initially spoken to by gardaí there. One of the men, who is the only suspect in the case, was then taken for questioning to Store Street Garda station. He was formally arrested at 1pm. The man is expected to appear before the courts today.
The suspect and Ms Vickers are believed to have been out socialising with each other on Sunday afternoon into the early hours of yesterday morning. They were well known to each other. The suspect was not known to gardaí before yesterday.
The second man who walked into Raheny Garda station is a relative of the suspect.
There is no suggestion of any foul play on his part.
It is understood that after the attack the suspect left the house to contact his relative and raise the alarm without realising Ms Vickers was still alive.
Residents of East Wall expressed shock yesterday at the killing, the second violent death on the road in four months. The end- of-terrace house where Ms Vickers was stabbed is opposite to where mechanic Aidan O’Kane was shot dead last December.
Locals described Ms Vickers as quiet and well liked. She was from the area. A neighbour who did not wish to be named said she was shocked.
“It’s just terrible. I can’t believe it. Only last year we had the Aidan O’Kane murder on this road. I’ve been living here all my life and I’ve never seen anything like the events of this past year. I knew her to say hello to. They were a nice family.”