Tributes flow for Regency garda found dead in station

FRIENDS and colleagues of a highly regarded senior garda have been paying tribute following the tragic death of the detective at his station.

Detective Superintendent Colm Fox was found dead in his office by a colleague at Ballymun Garda Station in Dublin at around 9pm on Saturday.

The senior officer, one of the capital’s most highly regarded and experienced officers, was lead investigator in the Regency Hotel murder of Kinahan cartel gangster David Byrne. A murder trial is currently under way at the Special Criminal Court in relation to that shooting.

A number of Detective Fox’s Garda colleagues described him at the weekend as ‘a lovely man, and brilliant garda’. A source added: ‘Everyone who knew him, liked him. He was a great investigator and very fair and decent to all his colleagues.

‘His Garda family are mourning him this weekend. Primarily, his family are mourning him and every member of An Garda Síochána is thinking of them at this difficult time.’

As well as the Regency Hotel investigation, Garda Fox was also involved in several other high-profile cases, including the inquiry into the murder of Daniel McAnaspie, 17.

Aged in his early 50s, he was married with grown-up children.

A Garda spokeswoman said: ‘Gardaí are investigating the sudden death of a serving member of An Garda Síochána following an incident at Ballymun Garda Station... The scene was examined by the Garda Technical Bureau and the coroner was notified.’

She added that foul play was not suspected and that the matter had been referred to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.