A MURDER investigation is expected to be opened today after a postmortem is carried out on the body of a man who died after being assaulted nearly a week ago.
Bachelor Martin O’Gorman (63), who died yesterday, had been assaulted by a group of people on Academy Street in Navan, Co Meath, early last Monday.
A postmortem is to be carried out this morning to establish the exact cause of death.
A native of Athlone, Mr O’Gorman is believed to have suffered a severe head injury in the assault. If the postmortem confirms he died from injuries received in the assault, the investigation is expected to be upgraded to murder.
Gardaí received a number of calls from the public after they appealed for witnesses or people with information on the incident to come forward.
They are believed to be examining his mobile phone records to try and piece together his movements before the assault, and to establish what brought him to the town last weekend.
Mr O’Gorman was found lying on the ground between two parked cars by a taxi-driver, who called an ambulance and gardaí.
CCTV footage in the area has been examined and gardaí believe up to four people, possibly two of whom were women, may have attacked him.
The incident happened at about 12.30am. Mr O’Gorman was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, and was subsequently transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, where he died yesterday.
Mr O’Gorman was an avid supporter of Meath football, and gardaí believe he may have travelled to Navan to celebrate after Meath’s win over Laois in the Leinster football championship.
It is understood that a number of people heard a disturbance on Academy Street, which is a quiet road about five minutes from the town centre. It is not known whether there were any witnesses to what happened.
Mr O’Gorman may have been on Academy Street as he walked to a nearby 24-hour garage.
He had parked his VW Passat car between the town centre and Academy Street, and there was no sign of an attempt to steal his car keys, wallet or mobile phone.