News Service from House Harris

NSW: Man shot 34 times in head with nail gun

SYDNEY, April 24 AAP - A Chinese man was shot 34 times in the head with a nail gun before his body was weighed down and dumped in Sydney's Georges River, police say.

They are appealing for public help to solve the murder of 27-year-old Chen (Anthony) Liu, describing the slaying as one of the most brutal they've seen.

Mr Liu's badly decomposed body was found in marshland in Sydney's south on November 1 last year by two children on a canoeing trip.

Police believe he was shot in the back of the head 12 days before the children made the discovery on the banks of the river in Oatley Bay, near Morshead Drive at Connells Point.

Detectives from Strike Force Renfree, set up to investigate the death, have released graphic X-ray images of Mr Liu's skull, which clearly shows the nails in his head.

Homicide Squad Superintendent Geoff Beresford said the murder had stunned investigators.

"In 36 years, I've never seen a murder of this nature," Supt Beresford told reporters in Sydney on Friday.

"It's a particularly brutal and vicious murder and hence the reason we are seeking information from the public."

He said 34 nails had entered "predominantly into the head area" at very close range, fired from an 85mm nail gun.

"We certainly believe the nail gun is responsible for the death, there's no doubt about that," he said.

Police have not recovered the murder weapon, but displayed what they believe to be a similar model of nail gun at a media conference.

"We believe the perpetrators had every intention of the body not being discovered," Supt Beresford

"Certainly there were efforts made to perhaps weigh it down if you like, and it was the force of nature, the tides, whereby the body has been discovered on the river bank."

Police are investigating associates of Mr Liu, but say there is nothing to suggest any links to a criminal group.

Mr Liu arrived in Melbourne on a student visa from China in early 2000 and moved to Sydney, where he married for a short time and separated, police said.

They are appealing for information from anyone who may have seen Mr Liu's blue 2005 Range Rover Sport 4WD in Rockdale or Connells Point around October 19 last year.

Detectives believe the 4WD could have been used to transfer Mr Liu's body to the marshland.

Anyone with any information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.