A man was this morning denied bail after being charged yesterday in connection with the murder of Romanian man Mr Adrian Bestea (21) whose body was found in a suitcase in the Royal Canal last July.
Mr Igor Derjhack (28) of Flat 12, 64 Mountjoy Square, was arrested at his home yesterday and later charged under section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act.
Det Supt Cormac Gordan told the court the alleged assault took place in Flat 5, 137 Strand Road, Sandymount, on the 8th of July. Mr Bestea’s body was found on July 20th in a black suitcase but was not identified until weeks later.
Det Supt Gordon said a post-mortem carried out on Mr Bestea’s body revealed he had died of serious head injuries.
He said gardaí objected to bail because Mr Derjhack had interfered with witnesses, that he was not wholly satisfied of the defendant's true identity and that he had associations with people who were involved in the sale and supply of false passports.
Mr Gordon said the accused had directed a witness to leave the jurisdiction and that this person had left, as well as instructing witnesses not to talk to the gardaí. He also told the court more serious charges were to follow.
Solicitor for Mr Derjhack, Mr John Feeney, defended the bail application. He said Mr Derjhack - a Ukrainian asylum-seeker - had a wife, two children and parents living in Ireland and if he had intended to leave the jurisdiction he would already have done so. One of his children was born in Ireland.
Mr Feeney said Mr Derjhack had fled religious persecution in the Ukraine.
Mr Justice David Anderson refused bail and remanded the accused to Clover Hill Prison until next Friday.