A fatal violent incident in western Ireland has led to a murder charge before the courts, after a woman’s body was discovered earlier this week near an asylum housing facility in County Galway. The victim has been identified as Masumeh Manojan, a 30-something woman originally from Iran, who was found with life-ending slash and stab injuries by those who discovered her remains on the morning of May 28. The 35-year-old man accused of her killing, Ali Sohrabi, who has no fixed abode in the area, appeared before Galway District Court following his arrest by the Irish national police, known locally as gardaí. When formally presented with the murder charge during processing by gardaí on the evening of May 30, Sohrabi entered a plea of “not guilty” by responding “no” to the charge. Gardaí escorted Sohrabi directly to the Galway court for his initial hearing, which remained short and procedural per Irish court protocol for murder cases. During the hearing, a detective testified that Sohrabi is accused of killing Manojan at some point between May 27 and May 28. Manojan’s body was located within close proximity to a facility operated by the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS), a government agency that provides housing to asylum seekers waiting for their international protection claims to be processed in the Republic of Ireland. Following the hearing, Judge agreed to remand Sohrabi in custody at Castlerea Prison, located in neighboring County Roscommon, ahead of his next court appearance. Sohrabi’s legal representative, a defence solicitor, submitted a formal request to the court that the accused be granted access to both routine medical care and psychiatric support during his time on remand, a request the judge granted. Sohrabi is scheduled to make his next appearance before Galway District Court via remote video link next Wednesday. Irish national public service broadcaster RTÉ first reported details of the court appearance and charges.