Fond farewell for man slain in Fermoy truck stop assault

AN Eastern European man who died following an assault in North Cork last month was remembered with fondness and affection at the weekend when the local community pledged to rally around and support his grieving widow and two young daughters.

A Slovak citizen but an ethnic Hungarian by birth, Ludowit Pasztor (40) died after he suffered a single blow to the head from an iron bar during a row with two other men at the truck stop at the Amber Filling Station in Fermoy around 10.30pm on February 22nd.

At the weekend, over 100 people attended a special funeral mass at St Patrick’s Church in Fermoy to show support to Mr Pasztor’s partner, Andrea and the couple’s two young children, Andrea (15) and Eva (11) as they prepared to bury the assault victim at Kilcrumper New Cemetery in Fermoy.

Local priest, Fr PJ O’Driscoll told Mr Pasztor’s family that the people of Fermoy were thinking of them in their time of grief and he pledged that people would continue to support them in the weeks and months ahead as they try to come to terms with their loss.

Mr Pasztor’s two daughters attend Presentation Convent Primary School and Coláiste An Chraoibhín Secondary School, and both teachers and classmates from both schools were among the mourners at the funeral mass which was celebrated with Hungarian translation on Saturday afternoon.

Fr O’Driscoll said: “On behalf of the parish and the principals of your two schools and some of your teachers are here, our prayers go out to you today and on behalf of the parish, we are here to support in whatever way we can in the coming days and weeks and months after today’s ceremony.

“We offer our prayers to you, Andrea and your family and as a community, we also pray that we can support you as best we can, knowing that the tragic passing of a loved one is very deep, it’s a sword to the heart but that as a community in Christ, we are there in prayer and support for you.”

The late Mr Pasztor had come to Ireland in 2010 and had worked for a period in Kepak Meats in Watergrasshill and later in Silver Pail Dairy in Fermoy but was working as a full time carer for his wife, who suffers from poor health, at the time of his death.

Two Polish truck drivers, aged 43 and 29 who work for a Cork haulage company and live in Macroom and Mountmellick, Co Laois, were arrested at the scene by gardai for questioning about the fatal assault on Mr Pasztor who was accompanied at the time by a Polish friend.

Both men were held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act which allows gardai detain suspects for up to 24 hours with the 29 year old man being brought to Fermoy Garda Station for questioning and the 43 year old man being brought to Mallow Garda Station.

Both men were released without charge on the afternoon of February 24 and gardai confirmed that they have begun preparing a file in relation to the death of Mr Pasztor who lived at Glencullen on the Duntahane Road in Fermoy.