ASSASSINATION | 

Daughter of Kinahan cartel victim hopes man who facilitated murder ‘will never see light of day again’

Mr Kirwan was shot dead because members of the Kinahan cartel mistakenly thought that he was connected to the Hutch crime organisation

Ryan Dunne

Today at 18:29

The daughter of Noel Kirwan, an innocent victim with no involvement in criminality who was shot dead by the Kinahan cartel, has said she hopes the man who facilitated the murder by buying a mobile top up for a leading member of the gang “will never see the light of day again”.

Mr Kirwan (62) was shot dead as he sat in his car outside his home on St Ronan’s Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 on December 22, 2016. He suffered eight gunshot wounds in total to his head, right arm, chest and abdomen.

At the Special Criminal Court today, Detective Sergeant Sean Cosgrove said that the background to the case was the notorious shooting at the Regency Hotel some months before.

Mr Kirwan was shot dead because members of the Kinahan organisation mistakenly thought that he was connected to the Hutch crime organisation, the court previously heard.

The Hutch crime gang carried out the Regency Hotel attack in 2016 in which another senior member of the Kinahan cartel, David Byrne, was shot dead.

Michael Crotty (42), of Slí Aonghusa, Aras na Rí, Cashel, Co Tipperary had pleaded not guilty to facilitating the murder of Mr Kirwan and went to trial in January of this year.

Dominic McGinn SC, for the State, read out a victim impact statement by Mr Kirwan’s partner, Bernadette Roe, who was present in the car when the shooting happened.

She said that on the evening Noel was murdered senselessly and for no good reason, her whole life was changed forever. She said that due to her severe spinal injury, “he became my legs” and she relied on him, and he was a huge help around the house.

She said Mr Kirwan’s murder had a “deeply devastating effect” on the family, who knew that they could easily have lost her as well that night as she was sitting beside him when he was shot

Defence counsel, Padraig Dwyer SC said that this client wished to apologise, and he asked the court to bear in mind that Crotty pleaded guilty as soon as a charge was laid before the court that addressed his liability. Defence also handed in references on behalf of the accused and said that there was a probation report available.

Ms Justice Caroline Biggs adjourned the sentence hearing to continue on May 13 next.