An Indian man who was due to stand trial next week for the murder of his Indian wife and two children in south Dublin has been found dead in prison.
Sameer Syed was found dead in his cell in the Midlands Prison on Thursday afternoon.
Seema Banu, the wife of Sameer Syed, lived in a house in Llewellyn Court with her two children. Syed and his family had recently moved to Ireland from India.
Seema, his 11-year-old daughter Asfira Riza and six-year-old son Faizan Syed were found dead in their home at Llewellyn Court, in Rathfarnham in Dublin on 28 October 2020.
Their bodies were found after residents in the estate became concerned when the family hadn’t been seen in several days and alerted the gardaí.
The children were found to have been strangled while Mrs. Banu died from a ligature around her neck, post-mortem examinations found.
Syed was arrested in November 2020 and charged with three counts of murder at Dun Laoghaire District Court.
At a court hearing in May 2021, Mr. Justice Michael White set a trial date for 15 June 2022 and remanded him in custody. The trial was due to last five weeks.
In a statement, the Irish Prison Service said it could confirm “the death of a prisoner in the Midlands Prison”.
There are no details on the circumstances surrounding his death.
However, the Irish Prison Service said all deaths in custody are investigated by the service, the Inspector of Prisons, and gardaí.