ADDITIONAL TESTS NEEDED TO DETERMINE IF SCOTSMAN’S ROADSIDE DEATH WAS DEFINITELY A HIT AND RUN
TESTS MAY TAKE WEEKS WHILE GARDAI HAVE ALSO QUESTIONED TEEN AND SEIZED VEHICLES
GARDAI have said further specialist tests will be required to establish whether a man found with injuries at the side of the road near his home in North Cork was the victim of a fatal hit and run.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster carried out a post-mortem on Monday at Cork University Hospital on the body of Scottish man, Alastair Hines (67) from Ballybane, Liscarroll.
Gardai have not released Dr Bolster’s findings at post-mortem but it’s understood that further specialists tests, which will take a number of weeks, will be required to establish the cause of death.
Gardai are hoping that the additional tests will establish whether or not Mr Hines died as a result of being struck by a car or whether there were other factors which contributed to his death.
Mr Hines’s body was found by his wife, Moira, with injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle outside his house at Ballybane on the Castlecor to Johns Bridge Road at around 9.3am on Sunday.
It’s understood that gardai obtained CCTV footage from a house on the road and identified a vehicle which had driven along the road at around 2am on Sunday morning and they traced the owner.
Meanwhile, gardai made contact with a 19 year old from Cecilstown and spoke to him about his driving early Sunday morning while they also took possession of his car for a forensic examination.
Gardai were also contacted by a 36 year old man from the area who was a passenger in a second vehicle that travelled the road around 7.30am and they also spoke to him about what he knew.
It’s understood that gardai also took possession of the vehicle in which the 36 year old was a passenger for forensic examination while they hope t o speak to the driver in the coming days.
Mr Hines had been socialising in Kilbrin, where he attended a fundraising event for the local Kilbrin Ladies GAA Club, and he was dropped home at around 1am, being left off outside his house.
Gardai continued to preserve the scene on Sunday afternoon after Mr Hines’s body was removed to CUH which allowed garda technical experts carried out a forensic examination of the area.
Gardai have also appealed for witnesses or anyone who may have any information that can assist them in their investigation into what happened to the man to contact them at Mallow Garda Station. In particular, Gardai have appealed to anyone who may have travelled from Castlecor to Johns Bridge between 10pm on Saturday and 10am on Sunday to contact them in Mallow on 022-31450.