A 30-year-old male, Dylan Scannell from O’Rahilly Street, Cobh, has been arraigned at the Midleton District Court in Co Cork, in relation to the killing of Ian Baitson. Mr. Baitson, also aged 30 and a father to two, was murdered on Newtown Road in Cobh.
Details regarding the arrest, charge, and caution were presented by Det Sgt Gerard O’Shaughnessy. He confirmed that Mr Scannell was arrested on a Sunday at 1:26 PM and was subsequently charged with Mr Baitson’s murder. When presented with the charge under caution, Mr Scannell offered no response, according to Dt Sgt O’Shaughnessy.
An application for gratis legal assistance was submitted and approved for the defendant by solicitor Ken Murray, with no objections raised by Supt Adrian Gamble. Judge Colm Roberts accepted the State’s demand to keep Mr Scannell in custody up to his next hearing at Mallow District Court scheduled for Tuesday, via video conference.
At the short hearing, Mr Scannell, who was attired in dark clothing, remained silent. No bail requests can be made at this level of court for a murder charge.
Mr Baitson was violently assaulted shortly prior to 9 PM on March 15th in the car park of the Newtown Road Eurospar in Cobh. He was transported to Cork University Hospital but was pronounced deceased on March 19th. A postmortem was conducted at the same hospital the following Tuesday afternoon, thus transforming the case officially into a murder investigation.
A specialist room for the inquiry was set up at the Cobh Garda station, under the supervision of a senior investigating officer. A family liaison officer has been appointed to keep the bereaved family informed.
Funeral traditions for Mr Baitson have been made public. He will recline at Cahill’s funeral home in Newtown on Tuesday from 5 PM to 7 PM. The body will be transported on Wednesday for a requiem Mass at 1 PM, followed by cremation at the Island Crematorium in Ringaskiddy.
He leaves behind his children, Zoe and Myles, his mother Helen, his brother Richard, and a wider family community, along with many friends. His father, Paul, predeceased him.