‘It is very scary’ – elderly residents in shock

A FRIGHTENED Cork householder has revealed he heard a man repeatedly shouting “open the f ***ing door” at 1am – just a few hours before the battered body of a pensioner was found in a pool of blood.

Joe O’Callaghan (66), a father of three, died from extensive head injuries at his home off Galway’s Lane in Douglas, Cork.

Mr O’Callaghan’s neighbour, too scared to be identified, went to bed on Sunday night only to hear the sound of a commotion outside.

“I thought it was around midnight but I’ve been told it was around 1am when I suddenly heard a loud bang.”

The noise appeared to be coming from outside Mr O’Callaghan’s house, a bungalow in an area largely occupied by elderly residents.

Mr O’Callaghan had staged parties at his property over recent years that prompted neighbours to complain to gardaí.

Neighbours were concerned by some of those attending the late-night parties.

“I heard shouting and then a loud bang.

“Someone was shouting; ‘Open the f***ing door. Open the f***ing door’.

“Then I heard what I thought was the sound of a door banging.”

The neighbour, who was in bed, thought it was the sound of Mr O’Callaghan slamming shut an internal door in his home.

When there was no further noise, the man went to sleep believing there was nothing untoward outside.

“Now I’m being told it was likely the sound of [Mr O’Callaghan’s] front door being kicked in,” the man said.

Another neighbour, John O’Sullivan, was alerted by Mr O’Callaghan’s wife Angeline over what had happened to her husband.

“There are mostly old people living here. It is very scary,” he said.

Douglas native Brendan Larkin said the entire community was shocked.

“I think most people around here knew Joe – it is very shocking.”

Local Dermot Keane said people were worried.

“I spoke to Joe just last Friday. I have lived here for 61 years and I cannot remember anything like this.”

Another neighbour, Clement Collins, said it was “very upsetting”.