GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING THE brutal murder of Mikolaj “Nick” Wilk (35) at his home in Ballincollig, Cork, are probing a number of different theories as to why he was killed including that he was involved in a personal feud with someone he knew.

Wilk was attacked by four men armed with machetes for a period of up to 10 minutes. He was subjected to the assault in front of his wife and two children. He later died in hospital.

His wife Elzbieta suffered serious slash wounds to her arms and hands. Her two children were physically unharmed but are said to be in a deeply distressed state.

Wilk was known as a friendly, hard-working man who had his own gardening business in Cork. There was no immediate motive for the attack.

However, gardaí will now access his social media profiles as well as his phone records to check if there could have been a personal reason for the attack.

Gardaí will also investigate if Wilk’s death could be in any way linked to his work.

Detectives believe the nature of the murder – a sustained attack with machetes for up to 10 minutes – indicates that the reason behind the killing was personal. Gardaí also recovered a gun from a car which was burnt out close to the murder scene.

The fact the men had access to a firearm and decided not to use it is more evidence for gardaí, albeit circumstantial, that there was a personal motive for the case.

Aga Deryng, who is a friend of Elzbieta, said she is raising money for the bereaved family.

Writing on a GoFundMe page, Deryng said: “A caring husband, loving father and very close friend to a lot of us, was brutally attacked and killed. Everyone is still in shock and heartbroken over this tragic incident. We are gathering money to help his poor wife that also [has] been injured and two children that he has orphaned. Even a small donation would help them to recover after this tragedy.”

The scene at The Bridge House, Maglin, Ballincollig is still currently preserved. Gardaí are continuing to carry out house-to-house enquiries.

Speaking at Gurranabraher Garda Station today, Superintendent Colm O’Sullivan said: “We are continuing to appeal to anyone with information or to anyone who may have witnessed this incident, [including] any drivers who may have dash cam footage and travelled in the Maglin, Ballincollig, Ballinora and Waterfall areas between 2am and 5am on 10 June 2018.

“If anyone noticed any suspicious or unusual activities in these areas in the days leading up to the incident, contact Gurranabraher Garda Station on 021- 4946200, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any garda station.”