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Gardai compare canal murder to London ritual killing

The Sunday Business Post, Ireland
Apr. 17, 2005
Barry O'Kelly
www.sbpost.ie

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Monday April 18, 2005

Detectives have examined the case files in London on a so-called ritual killing as part of Garda investigation into the headless body murder on the Royal Canal in Dublin.

The Sunday Business Post understands that detectives travelled to London a week ago to liaise with officers who dealt with the bizarre death of a five-year-old boy, whose headless body was found in the Thames in 2001.

Scotland Yard concluded that the boy was the victim of a religious cult killing.

Garda sources confirmed this weekend that they were now actively examining the possibility of a similar gruesome scenario in Dublin.

Detectives declined to discuss evidence that may point in the direction of a ritual murder.

The man, believed to be a west African in his 20s, has still not been identified.

“It looks like he was not registered anywhere,” one garda said. “He should have turned up on the [immigration fingerprint] files by now.”

The head of the victim has still not been found. Other body parts, the torso, arms and legs, were discovered on Wednesday, March 30, in the Royal Canal.

Separately, detectives believe they know the identities of the criminals behind all three of the gangland shootings that took place in Dublin in the past fortnight.

The latest victim, Terence Dunleavy, was shot in the head just over a mile from his home in Marino on Thursday night.

He is believed to have been gunned down in reprisal for a recent shooting in the north inner city.

Joseph Rafferty was shot dead in west Dublin on Tuesday night because of a personal dispute with a well known gangland figure, according to detectives.

Meanwhile, the chief suspect in the murder of Jimmy Curran in the Green Lizard pub on Francis Street a fortnight ago was arrested yesterday morning. He was being held in Kevin Street Garda station.

They are less confident about finding witnesses who are prepared to testify against the killers of Dunleavy and Rafferty.