News

Teen charged with Longford murder

Friday, 21 September 2007

A 19-year-old man has been charged with the murder of mother of two Sharon Coughlan.

David Brozovsky, with an address at Ardnacassa, Longford, appeared before a special sitting of Longford District Court earlier this evening.

He has been charged with murdering Ms Coughlan at number 47 Great Water Street on the 15 September.

An application was made for the defendant to be remanded in custody.

Judge John Neilan directed that medical and psychological assessments be carried out on the defendant and a toxicological report be prepared.

He remanded Mr Bozovsky in custody to St Patrick's Institution to appear again in Mullingar District Court on 27 September.

More than 100 people gathered outside the courtroom during the proceedings.

At the conclusion of the hearing Mr Brozovsky was heckled and pushed when members of the public surged towards the courthouse. The defendant was led away by gardaí.

Meanwhile it emerged today that 37-year-old Ms Couglan, who was strangled at a vacant house in Longford last weekend, was the victim of a robbery.

It is thought that Ms Coughlan did not know her attacker.

Garda sources earlier indicated that they believed she was dragged from the street and assaulted at the house during daylight hours on Saturday. She died as result of asphyxiation.

Gardaí also recovered a key of the house where she was found dead near the scene of the murder.

Earlier, a 28-year-old man was released from Mullingar garda station after being questioned in connection with the murder.

He had been arrested along with a 29-year-old woman at a housing estate near Longford town bypass yesterday morning. The woman was released earlier without charge.

A file will be prepared on both the man and woman in question and sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.