Dublin man charged with Belfast murder of gangster Robbie Lawlor
A man in his 40s from Dublin, arrested in Liverpool on Wednesday, has been charged with the April 2020 gun murder of Robbie Lawlor in north Belfast.
Dublin man in 40s charged over 2020 gun murder of Robbie Lawlor in north Belfast
A man in his 40s from Dublin, now living in the United Kingdom, has been charged with the murder of gangster Robbie Lawlor in Belfast, irishmirror.ie reports. He was arrested in Liverpool on Wednesday before being flown to Belfast for questioning and subsequent charge.
The PSNI announced on Thursday night that the man had been charged and would appear before Belfast Magistrates' Court on Friday morning. Detectives from the Major Investigation Team confirmed the charge in a statement: "Mr Lawlor was shot dead outside a house in Etna Drive in north Belfast on 4th April 2020."
The 41-year-old faces a charge of murder, as well as possession of a firearm or ammunition with intent to endanger life or cause serious damage to property. The PSNI said the charges would be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service in the usual manner.
Sources told irishmirror.ie the charged man is a Dubliner, making him the third person from the Republic to come under the spotlight of the PSNI in connection with the killing of Lawlor.
Who was Robbie Lawlor?
Lawlor, 35 at the time of his death, was widely regarded as one of Ireland's most dangerous gangsters. He was blamed for at least five murders, including the killing and dismemberment of 17-year-old Keane Mulready-Woods in Drogheda, Co Louth, in January 2020 — just four months before Lawlor himself was shot dead.
He was lured to a meeting at Etna Drive in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast in April 2020. Investigators believe he was targeted by a coalition of criminals from Dublin, Drogheda and Sligo.
Two others already charged, extradition cases ongoing
Two men had already been charged by the PSNI with Lawlor's murder before Wednesday's arrest.
In July, Dubliner Jonathan Gill, 44, of Malahide Road, Clontarf, north Dublin, lost his fight against extradition from Dublin to Belfast. The PSNI alleged in court that Gill was "instrumental in all aspects" of the murder. He is appealing the extradition decision and is due before the High Court in Dublin next month.
The extradition warrant cites alleged encrypted 'Encrochat' conversations in which a man, whom police allege is Gill, says his "mate will do it" and "pop him" ahead of Lawlor's murder. The warrant further alleges that Gill "is considered to be a significant figure in the Organised Crime Gangs within the Republic of Ireland and in an opposing faction of the feud to Lawlor," and that his criminal enterprise "reaches into Northern Ireland."
In June, the PSNI made a separate extradition request against Barry Young, 41, of Geldof Drive, Cranmore, Co Sligo, also alleged to have been "instrumental" in the planning of the murder. Young, previously described in court as one of the most significant drug dealers in the west and northwest of Ireland, was taken from Portlaoise Prison to the High Court in Dublin on 22 June on foot of a Northern Ireland warrant.
Young is currently serving an 11-year sentence in the Republic for directing a criminal organisation. He also faces a charge in the north of possessing a 9mm self-loading pistol with intent to endanger life between 2 and 5 April 2020, and remains awaiting extradition.
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)