Cork Sisters 'Strangled By Suicidal Father'

Gardaí have named the victims of yesterday's suspected double filicide in Co Cork, which left two young sisters dead by the hand of their suicidal Father.

John Butler died after he crashed his car between Ballycotton and Shanagarry shortly after he is believed to have strangled his two daughters, Zoe (6) and Ella (2), who were subsequently found dead at the family home, at Ballybraher in Ballycotton.

Their mother Una Butler, a Revenue Commissioners official in Cork city, was at work when she heard about a car crash in the area.

Concerned, she contacted a family friend who found the girls, still in their pyjamas, in the sitting room at around 10.30am.

The friend contacted gardaí to raise the alarm and the scene was preserved until State pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy arrived at the house before 5pm and carried out a preliminary examination of the bodies at the scene.

The girls' father, who was in his 40s, was killed when his car collided with a ditch on the road between Ballycotton and Shanagarry at 9.45am. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr Butler’s badly burned body remained in his car at the scene of the crash until his remains were also examined by Dr Cassidy yesterday evening.

It has emerged that Mr Butler bought a five-gallon drum of petrol at a garage in Shanagarry at about 9am, which they found in the boot of his car.

They were awaiting technical tests to establish whether he had doused the car in petrol before crashing.

A Gardaí spokesman described the deaths as tragic and the assistant state pathologist, Dr Margaret Bolster, was due at the scene to carry out preliminary examinations. It is expected the bodies will be removed to Cork University Hospital for post mortem tests.

Two units of the county fire service attended the scene of the collision and officers in Midleton are dealing with both incidents.

(DW/BMcC)