Man to face court over body in car boot

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A man will appear in court today charged over the murder of a mother-of-one found in the boot of car.

The 52-year-old will appear at Blanchardstown District Court in west Dublin, in relation to the killing of Helen Donegan.

Her badly decomposed remains were discovered in the rear of a silver grey Saab estate car outside a rented garage in Newcastle, Co Dublin, last week.

The 30-year-old, from Ballyfermot, west Dublin - who had a 12-year-old son - had been missing for almost seven weeks. She was last seen at her rented home in St Patrick's Park, Celbridge, Co Kildare, on the morning of May 6.

A post-mortem examination by State pathologist Marie Cassidy revealed she died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Investigating gardai believe she was murdered shortly after she went missing from her house. Her disappearance was reported 11 days later.

On Tuesday night, they found her remains during a search outside a transport yard at Kilmactalway, Aylmer Road, in Newcastle. DNA tests and dental records were needed to identify her.

The man was arrested in Clondalkin on Tuesday and was held under section 50 of the Offences Against the State Act.

Garda technical experts have carried out tests at the lock-up, a second Kildare garage where the body was stored for a time and on a recovered shotgun.