Two men have been brought before Portlaoise district court charged with carrying out a burglary at the home of a 59-year-old man, who has been missing since April this year.
The court appearance came as gardaí carried out a search for Englishman Tommy Thompson alongside the roadside between Portlaoise and Stradbally. The search has concluded for the night with no significant finds reported.
Tommy Thompson, a plastering contractor, has not been seen at the Portlaoise house he was living in for the last eight months.
The men who appeared in court are German nationals Joachim Pohl and Armin Wiederhold both with an address at 12 Lintown Place, Kilkenny.
They were found to have of a number of Mr Thompson's belongings including a brief case and watch.
Mr Thompson came to Ireland from the north of England to work on building sites in the midlands.
Last April he vanished without trace and a major investigation was set up when his wife and family expressed concern for his safety.
Earlier this week gardaí who are investigating the disappearance of this plastering contractor made a major breakthrough in the case when two men were arrested during a search of a house in Co Kilkenny.
Both of the men are believed to have worked with Mr Thompson at some stage in the last two years.
Today Mr Pohl was released on bail and Mr Wiederhold was remanded in custody to appear before Cloverhill district court on 28 December.
Both men are due to appear again in Portlaoise district court in January.
The search in Co Laois has concluded for the night.
No significant finds have been reported
