Man is killed ‘after impaling himself on metal fence spikes’

A SOUTH Dublin community was in shock yesterday when the body a local man was found in a laneway.

The discovery was made at around 8.30am in the lane leading to an apartment block just off Convent Road in Dalkey. The man is being named locally as Michael Burke, 35.

It is believed that he may have been climbing a fence into a restaurant car park, when he fell and impaled himself.

It’s understood the incident occurred late on Thursday night or early yesterday morning, and the alarm was raised when a passer-by discovered the body.

However, gardaí are yet to confirm the exact cause of his death.

It was confirmed yesterday that an inquiry is under way and a postmortem was due to be carried out last night.

It is understood the man was living near the location where his body was found. Convent Road, which is in the centre of Dalkey Village, was sealed off to allow for a technical examination.

It is understood the man was a Dalkey native who worked in a local SuperValu and was well-known in the area.

It is also believed he was an only son with three sisters and his parents also live in the area.

Members of the tight-knit community were horrified by the ‘massively shocking’ incident. They described Mr Burke as a character who was much-loved and very popular in the area.

‘It’s dreadful, it’s very sad,’ one local woman told the Irish Daily Mail. ‘I heard he was a very nice guy.’

Another local describe his death as a ‘tragedy’. ‘You would feel for his family,’ she said. ‘They don’t deserve that, he was a beautiful guy.’

A Garda statement last night said: ‘Gardaí are no longer treating as suspicious the death of a man in Dalkey.

‘Preliminary results of a postmortem examination have been furnished to investigating gardaí and foul play has now been ruled out. A file will be prepared for the coroner.’