Kildare murder investigation has now gone down under

Two detectives have been sent to Australia in a bid to discover more information on slain Dublin man Kenneth O'Brien whose partial remains were discovered in the Grand Canal in Ardcolugh two weeks ago.

Two members of An Garda Síochana flew from Dublin to Perth yesterday to link up with the local police force and delve into the details of Mr O'Brien's life down under during the three years he spent there.

Gardaí have not yet identified a clear motive for the brutal murder and have still to determine where the murder and dismemberment took place. The weapon used to kill Mr O'Brien has not been found yet either.

Gardaí believe that the victim may have had contact with his killers before he returned home from Australia as the murder was committed within a month of his return home.

Gardaí are investigating up to 400 lines of enquiry in a case which has taken some major twists and turns in the two weeks since Mr O'Brien's remains were discovered. The two detectives in Perth will interview people who were close to the victim while he was in Australia to determine whether or not he was receiving threats from criminal gangs in Ireland.