Fears man was gangland killing victim

GARDAÍ last night issued the description of a man found dead yesterday close to woods on the outskirts of Dublin amid fears he was the victim of an execution style gangland killing.

A post-mortem was carried out last night on the man’s body, discovered by hill walkers lying face down in a drain close to the entrance of Ballinascorney Woods in south Co Dublin.

The body was taken to Tallaght Hospital and while gardaí confirmed the death was suspicious, senior members were reluctant to declare a full scale murder investigation before the post-mortem was completed.

Nevertheless, the scene close to where the body was found was sealed off and examined by technical experts working on the basis the post-mortem will reveal he was murdered.

Initial reports suggested the man received head injuries and that possibly he was shot in the back of the head. The difficulty for investigators is the man appeared to have been dead for some hours before he was discovered and his body was partially decomposed.

Superintendent Michael Byrne, from Tallaght station, said the man was in his late 20s or early 30s, 5’9 to 5’11 in height, of slim build and was wearing a brown bomber jacket bearing the words Inchicore Celtic Emerald Supporters Club.

His body was found around 10am, close to a road, in an area popular among hill walkers and day trippers. In addition, a dirt track racing festival was held close to the death scene on Sunday.

This suggests he died some time between late evening on Sunday and early Monday morning. Gardaí believe he died at the scene.