A MAN HAS been remanded in custody after he was charged with the murder of a woman and two children at their south Dublin home.

Gardaí launched a murder investigation following a post-mortem into the deaths last month.

They cannot be named for legal reasons.

Gardaí arrested a man in his 30s on Saturday morning. He was detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at Dundrum Garda Station where he was charged on Sunday evening.

He was held overnight pending his appearance before Judge Anne Watkin at Dun Laoghaire District Court this morning.

Dressed in brown parka coat, blue jeans, white runners and wearing a face-mask, the man, stood silently with his hands in his pockets, facing the judge.

Evidence of arrest, charge and caution was given by Detective Sergeant John White. He told Judge Watkin that section 252 of the Children Act applied because two of the injured parties were juveniles.

Judge Watkin reminded the media that reporting restrictions applied.

Detective Sergeant White said the accused made no reply to caution when arrested for the purposes of charge on Sunday evening just before 5pm. He was charged with three counts of murder and each time he “made no reply to that charge”.

He was handed a true copy of the charges.

Judge Watkin remanded him in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on Thursday.

Legal aid was granted following an application by Morgan Shelley BL, who said there was no objection by the prosecution.

He also reminded the news media that reporting restrictions applied.

A bail application in a murder case can only be heard by the High Court.

They cannot be named for legal reasons as a result of a ruling, in an another case, in the Court of Appeal last month.

It found that the anonymity provisions of the Children Act can also apply to deceased children who were crime victims.

Section 252 (1) of the Children Act, 2001 states: “In relation to any proceedings for an offence against a child or where a child is a witness in any such proceedings, no report which reveals the name, address or school of the child or includes any particulars likely to lead to his or her identification”.

“No picture which purports to be or include a picture of the child or which is likely to lead to his or her identification” shall be published or included in a broadcast, it also states.

Ruling on the issue, Justice George Birmingham, said the language in this section of the legislation was “clear and unequivocal” and that if it were to be changed it would be a decision for the Oireachtas.