Chinese national murdered by man who was burgling his house

GARDAÍ are searching a man with dark hair and a blonde fringe who murdered a young Chinese man during a house burglary in Dublin early yesterday morning.

Detectives found the murder weapon at the scene and are awaiting the results of forensic and fingerprint examination.

They also have a good description of the murderer, and hope the man’s distinctive dark hair with a blonde fringe may help identify him.

The intruder broke into a house on Reuben Avenue, in Rialto in Dublin’s south inner city, at around 5am yesterday.

The two-bedroom terraced house was occupied by six Chinese nationals - five men and one woman.

The thief entered the woman’s bedroom and searched for valuables. One of the male housemates went out to investigate when he heard a noise from the room.

He saw the burglar coming out with a jewellery box in his hand and challenged him. The burglar stabbed him once in the chest with a knife. He then fled, dropping the knife as he went.

The gardaí and emergency services were contacted.

“On arrival, gardaí found the deceased, a 23-year-old Chinese national. He had received a fatal stab wound to his chest,” said Supt Eddie Quirke, who is leading the murder investigation.

The man was brought the short distance to St James’s Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after 5.30am.

The deceased worked as a kitchen porter in St Stephen’s Green and had been living in Reuben Avenue for more than two years.

Gardaí sealed off the scene and recovered the murder weapon, sending it for forensic analysis. Detectives hope this will contain crucial fingerprint or other forensic evidence.

They also have a good description of the assailant. He is aged between 23 and 25, of average height, between 5’8” and 5’10.” He had dark hair with a blonde fringe and was wearing a blue jacket and blue jeans.

Detectives are investigating whether the same person burgled a second house at the back of the victim’s house earlier that night.

Supt Quirke appealed to any early morning commuters or passing taxi drivers who may have seen anything to contact Kilmainham Garda Station at 01 6669711/12.

In a separate incident, shots were fired into a house on Whitechapel Road, Clonsilla, west Dublin, just before 1am yesterday. No one was injured.