Death of man not suspicious - police

POLICE IN Australia are not treating the death of a Co Armagh man whose body was found in a river last weekend as suspicious.

Victoria police confirmed yesterday a body found in the Yarra river last Saturday was that of Stephen King (28), from Keady, who was last seen leaving an Irish bar in Melbourne after a night out with friends two weeks ago. The river runs close to the area where Mr King had been socialising.

With postmortem results now available, police do not regard the death as suspicious, although that cannot be confirmed until a coroner's report has been received, a spokesman said.

A memorial service for Mr King was due to be held today at St John's Catholic Church on Queens Parade, Clifton Hill, Melbourne at 7.30pm. Arrangements are also being made to fly the remains home.

Mr King, a bricklayer, arrived in Australia in June on a one-year working visa and had been living in the St Kilda area of south Melbourne. His friends believed he was going to a casino when he left PJ O'Brien's pub at about 3.10am on July 19th. The alarm was raised the following day when he failed to meet friends as expected. They had arranged to meet to watch a GAA match in a local pub.

Dozens of Irish volunteers helped in the search, and members of the King family have thanked the local community for their support.