Aidan Moffitt: Murder investigation launched into Sligo death

Irish police have launched a murder investigation after the body of a man was discovered in Sligo on Monday.

The 42-year-old victim has been named locally as Aidan Moffitt, Irish broadcaster RTÉ has reported.

Police were called to a house in Cartron Heights, where the body was discovered, at 20:30 local time.

They are investigating whether there was a hate-related motive to the killing and whether Mr Moffitt had met his attacker online.

Gardaí (Irish police) said the victim had received significant physical injuries.

As part of their appeal for information, gardaí also issued safety advice to those meeting with individuals they have been in contact with online.

They are encouraging people meet in public places and use live video calls to confirm the persons' identity before meeting them.

The house where the murder took place has been preserved for technical and forensic examinations.

A post-mortem examination is due to take place at University Hospital Sligo.

RTÉ reported that Mr Moffitt was originally from County Rosscommon and worked in the financial services sector.

It also said he canvassed for Fine Gael during a number of election campaigns in recent years.

A friend and party member, Blaine Gaffney, told the broadcaster that Mr Moffitt was outgoing and well-known, and that his death had numbed the local community.

"It came out of the blue last night and we're all in total shock - we just can't believe what we're hearing and learning about what happened to Aidan."