Man arrested after woman dies in fatal assault in Laois
The incident occured on the same street where a Laois TD has a constituency office
A man in his 70s has been arrested after a woman in her 50s died following an assault in Portlaoise this afternoon.
Gardaí and emergency services responded to the incident at a domestic residence at Church Street shortly after 12:30pm. A woman aged in her 50s was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Laois TD Brian Stanley, who has a constituency office on the street, said the incident had left people in the area shocked.
“People are shocked on the street. It is where my constituency office is, just across the street,” he explained.
“People are very concerned about it. This woman would have been known in the street and would have got on well with people in the area,” he said.
The State Pathologist has been notified and a post-mortem examination will be arranged in due course.
A man aged in his 70s was arrested at the scene and is currently detained at a station in the Garda Eastern Region under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
The scene is currently preserved for technical examination.
A Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed to lead the investigation. An incident room has been established at Portlaoise Garda station.
Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to this incident to come forward.
Anyone who was in the Church Street area on Sunday, July 5, 2026 between 11am and 1pm and who may have camera footage, including CCTV or dashcam, is asked to provide this footage to investigating Gardaí.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Portlaoise Garda Station on 057 867 4100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.