Colleagues pay tribute to Glenamaddy murder victim

By JACQUELINE HOGGE SHOCKED colleagues of a man murdered in Glenamaddy have spoken of their dismay at a second violent death in the town in less than three years.The remains of 30-year-old Juris Burls, a native of Latvia, were found in a wooded area near the village of Creggs last Saturday.He had been missing from his home on the Ballymoe Road in Glenamaddy since Thursday, July 7.Sergejs Kraus, 35, with an address at 12 Dudley Heights, Glenamaddy appeared before Tuam District Court on Tuesday on charges of withholding information in relation to Mr Burls' death. Mr Burls had lived in the area since 2005 when he began working as a machine operative at the Titan plant on the outskirts of the town.Workers at the factory described their shock and sadness at his death, describing him as well respected and a great worker.'We didn't think anything of if when he didn't show up for work on the Thursday night as it sometimes happens that people phone in sick, but you would get a call the following night if they were going to miss more than one shift,' said one worker who did not want to be named.'A couple of the lads even called round to his house that night to see if he had slept in but the place was in darkness. But we got worried then when the Gardaí became involved over the following few days when his girlfriend reported him missing.''He was a great worker, everybody wanted him on their shift, he was that good, and he wanted to work the night shift as he had been saving up for a car that he eventually bought a few months ago.'He didn't drink for the past 18 months either as he was hoping to go on a holiday with his girlfriend but that won't happen now,' said another co-worker.'The saddest part is he had signed up for a trip our sports and social club had organised for a cruise on the Shannon the week he went missing and it was meant to happen last Saturday week, but we cancelled it.'A local businessman also described Mr Burls as a quiet man who kept himself to himself but said he would have been a familiar face in the town.'I would know him from seeing him in the street but he wasn't one to socialise in the town,' he said.'There are about 30 or 35 people from Russia and Latvia living here in Glenamaddy and they tend to mix among themselves, but it is very very sad that someone so young has died in these circumstances.'It's also sad for the town, following the death of young Frank Fahy back in 2008 who was killed in violent circumstances and the whole community is just shocked that this has happened again.'