A 42-year-old mother of three children was killed instantly when struck by a stolen car in Cork at 2.45 a.m. yesterday. She was named as Mrs June Atkins of Ballyphehane in the city.
Mrs Atkins was returning with her husband to her home in the Pearse Road area and was crossing the street when struck by a red Mitsubishi travelling at speed. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her death brings to five the number killed by stolen cars in Cork this year.
It appears that Mrs Atkins had crossed the road before her husband, John. She is also survived by her youngest son, Geoffrey, as well as David and Jill, both teenagers.
Cork gardai subsequently arrested a 26-year-old man near the scene, and were last night continuing their search for two others believed to have also been in the car.
The car had been stolen in the St Patrick's Street area earlier in the evening.
Last night gardai at Togher and Anglesea Street appealed for witnesses to the collision or the car theft to come forward. The car was taken from St Patrick's Quay.
The 26-year-old man was arrested under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
It is understood that the suspect had been given temporary release from Cork Gaol three weeks ago while serving six months for jumping bail. He had been sentenced in September and was due out, with remission, in January.
He had been signing on every day at a local Garda station and once a week at Cork Gaol. The Department of Justice said that he had returned to prison last night in the company of gardai.