Gardai investigating the murder of a north Dublin drug-dealer early last Saturday have appealed for witnesses who may have seen a man leaving the scene.
According to gardai, Mr Derek Benson (33) was "savagely and viciously" hacked and stabbed to death with a knife in his flat at Sandyhill Avenue, Ballymun. The flat was then set alight.
Detectives have asked that any bloodstained clothing which may have been found in the area should be handed over to them. They are also seeking the murder weapon, believed to be a knife with a 12-inch blade.
Some 60 gardai are conducting house-to-house inquiries. It is thought that there was a single attacker, although the presence of more than one intruder has not been ruled out.
Mr Benson, the father of a teenager, received stab wounds to his body as well as severe injuries to his head, neck, legs and arms as he attempted to defend himself.
He was last seen by his girlfriend at 1.10 a.m., when she left the flat to return to her parents' house. A neighbour who raised the alarm heard screaming and saw smoke coming from the flat at about 3.30 a.m.
Mr Benson was alive when found by paramedics, but died on the way to hospital.
Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have seen a person entering or leaving the flats complex between 3 and 3.45 a.m. last Saturday to contact them at Ballymun station on 01-8420222.