Brawl may have led to Dublin murder

A man found dead in Dublin's St Stephen’s Green last night is believed to have been killed during a drunken brawl.

The badly-beaten body of Patrick Pepper, 40, from Ringsend, Dublin, was discovered beside a monument to patriot Wolfe Tone, and not far from the entrance to the exclusive Shelbourne Hotel.

He was thought to have been hit a number of times in the head and face with a bottle, and police launched a murder investigation.

The incident happened on a works site in the park after a number of men were reported to have been drinking there throughout last night.

St Stephen's Green, normally thronged with tourists and local people during daylight hours, was closed to the public today while police forensic experts scoured the area as part of the murder inquiry.

Gardai said Mr Pepper was understood to have been among the group of people spotted in the park last night and appealed for any witnesses to the attack - believe to have followed a row - to come forward.