A 38-year-old German man has been charged with the rape and murder of an Irish woman in Munich over a decade ago. Ms Sinéad O`Neill, a 21-year-old backpacker from Templeogue in Dublin, was raped and murdered in 1991. She had been worker in an Irish bar in the Bavarian city.
She was found in the Thalkirchen district of Munich on August 20th, 1991, half submerged in the Isar River. She had eight stab wounds to her chest and back and died shortly afterwards in hospital.
German police arrested a man, identified only as Rene L., after a fight and took a DNA sample. This was found to match samples found on Ms O'Neill's clothes.
Two years ago Germany passed a new law ordering the compulsory DNAtesting of all people charged with serious crimes of violence.
Police believe the man murderedMs O'Neill after following her when she got off a train to walk back to hercampsite.
The man has reportedly confessed to the murder, and also to raping another woman.
