A former Russian police officer was today charged with the murder of a Romanian man whose body was found in a suitcase in a canal near Dublin city centre more than a year ago.
Mr Igore Derjhack (29) was remanded in custody by Dublin District Court today after being accused of the murder of Mr Adrian Bestea (21), who was beaten to death in a flat in Sandymount in July 2001.
The suitcase containing Mr Bestea's body was spotted in Dublin's Royal Canal some days after he had been killed.
The dead man's girlfriend, Ms Marina Tsouretseva, is serving two years in prison after being convicted earlier this year of assaulting and falsely imprisoning him, and Mr Derjhack is the first person to be charged with his murder.
Mr Derjhack has been in custody since late last year after being accused, with another Russian, of assaulting and falsely imprisoning Mr Bestea.