KILL CASE

Man, 41, to go on trial accused of helping crime gang murder innocent Noel ‘Duck Egg’ Kirwan after not guilty plea

Michael Crotty’s trail will begin at the Special Criminal Court tomorrow

• Paul Neilan

• Published: 17:54, 15 Jan 2024
• Updated: 18:29, 15 Jan 2024

A MAN will go on trial at the Special Criminal Court on Wednesday after he pleaded not guilty to helping a crime gang murder Noel ‘Duck Egg’ Kirwan, an innocent man who had no involvement in criminality.

Mr Kirwan, 62, was shot six times as he sat in his car on December 22, 2016, at St Ronan’s Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.

At the three-judge court today, Michael Crotty pleaded not guilty to facilitating an organisation in Mr Kirwan’s murder.

Mr Crotty, 41, of Slí Aonghusa, Aras na Rí, Cashel, Co Tipperary, spoke only to answer “not guilty” when the sole charge was read out to him by the registrar.

Mr Crotty’s trial, which is scheduled to last up to five weeks, is to begin at the Special Criminal Court on Wednesday.

Last Friday at the same court, Mr Crotty’s co-accused – senior Kinahan cartel member Declan Brady, known as ‘Mr Nobody’ – pleaded guilty to the same charge.

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Brady, who is in custody for other offences, pleaded guilty to the single charge against him and will also appear before the court on Wednesday, when a date will be set for his sentencing hearing.

Brady, of St Wolstan’s Abbey, Celbridge, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court in July 2019 to supervising a firearms arsenal including an assault rifle and thousands of rounds of ammunition that had been stashed in a Dublin business park.

He was sentenced to 11.5 years in prison with the final year suspended for that offence.

While in prison in 2021 Brady pleaded guilty to laundering hundreds of thousands in crime cash through multiple bank accounts in 2017.