Paud O'Leary with his wife Margaret and his children Shannon, Antoinette, Paudie and Ross. A man has been arrested in connection with his hit and run death while out training on his bike near his Co Kerry home in 2012.
A man in his 20s has been arrested in London on suspicion of driving the vehicle that knocked a Kerry cyclist from his bike 18 months ago killing him.
Paud O'Leary, a 42-year-old father of four, was found dead by the side of the road near his Kerry home in July 2012. He was training for the Ring of Kerry sportive when he was struck by a motorist who fled and left him dying at the scene.
Gardai investigating the case believe the suspect left Ireland for Australia in the period after the killing. The Irish man travelled from Australia to the UK in the past week. He was arrested today as he was attempting to board a flight back to Australia at Heathrow Airport.
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He is now being held in custody by the police in London. Extradition proceedings are expected to commence immediately to return the suspect to Ireland to face criminal charges in relation to Mr O’Leary’s death.
It appears the gardai in Co Kerry nominated the arrested man as a suspect early in their investigation but his departure from Ireland meant he could not be arrested before now.
A Garda statement in the days after the killing said the team of guards investigating the case was “particularly anxious” to speak to the driver of a grey Toyota 4X4. Gardai believed the vehicle was in the area of the fatal collision at Gneeveguilla between 7am and 10am on Sunday, July 1st; the morning Mr O'Leary was killed.
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The victim was from Leamyglissance in Co Kerry and was found dead on the side of the road when people went out searching for him after he had failed to return from his training ride. It is believed he may have been lying dead in a ditch for several hours before he was found.
Mr O’Leary left his house to go training at around 8am on Sunday. He was later found on the roadway having been knocked off his bike at Scrahan Fada, just over 10 miles from Killarney.
The exact time of his death is not known but gardai said the dead man could have been struck by a vehicle as early as 8.15am on the Sunday in question, though he was not found until closer to lunchtime.
His wife Margaret became concerned when he did not arrive back at their home when expected and a group of local people then decided to go out looking for him. His remains were found by his brother-in-law.
Mr O’Leary, who was best known in the area for his involvement in Gneeveguilla GAA Club, was preparing for the 180km Ring of Kerry sportive the following weekend.
When Mr O’Leary’s body was found and a post mortem confirmed he had died from injuries related to being hit by a vehicle, a criminal investigation has started.
And while little about the case has been aired publicly since the initial appeals seeking eyewitnesses or those with suspicions about who was involved to come forward, that gardai in Kanturk have continued to work on the case, leading to today’s arrest.
Paud O'Leary was training for the Ring of Kerry sportive when killed. Teams of riders have since done the cycle in his name and have raised money for charity.
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