Police make arrest following brutal murder of homeless Cork man on Costa del Sol

The victim, aged in his mid-40s and believed to be from the Cork area, was punched and kicked to death on a Malaga beach after interrupting an attempt to steal his personal belongings as he slept on March 12th.

He had such severe head injuries that officers initially believed he had been bludgeoned with a rock.

However, a postmortem revealed that he had indeed been punched and kicked to death.

Authorities said that he had been sleeping in La Malagueta, a busy tourist area during the day but a known location for homeless people to gather at night.

The alarm was raised when a jogger came upon the man's body along the beach at around 6.30am.

Police had also received reports of shouting and cries for help shortly before the discovery.

A suspect (37) was arrested at his home at around 7pm later that evening.

It is believed police tracked him via CCTV footage and recovered clothing soaked in the blood of his victim, the Irish Mirror reports. He appeared before a judge three days after the killing.

Authorities identified the victim as a homeless man after interviewing staff at a local supermarket nearby. Documentation found on his person indicated he may be Irish.

However, authorities had to submit the dead man’s fingerprints to Interpol to receive confirmation of his identity.

Spanish police are currently attempting to contact relatives in a bid to repatriate his remains.