Man charged with murder of Latvian fisherman

A 35-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a Latvian fisherman in north Co Dublin in 2006.

Sergejs Lavrinovics, a Lithuanian national, is accused of killing Igors Bandarenko, who was found dead in Howth Harbour with his ankles tied to an anchor.

Mr Bandarenko, who was working as a fisherman, was found dead in October 2006, just seven months after he came to Ireland.

The Latvian was found with rope tied around both ankles, tied to an anchor and, last April, an open verdict was returned at the inquest into his death.

This morning, 35-year-old Sergejs Lavrinovics, a Lithuanian currently of no fixed abode, was charged with the murder of Mr Bandarenko on or between September 18 and October 4 2006.

Lavrinovics, who is also a fisherman, has been in custody on a charge of assault causing harm to the victim since before Christmas and that has now been replaced with a charge of murder.

He was remanded in custody to appear in court again next Friday.