Keane Mulready-Woods: Man admits facilitating teen's murder

Paul Crosby pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court on Monday.

A 26-year-old man has pleaded guilty to facilitating the murder of Keane Mulready-Woods.

The 17-year-old from Drogheda, County Louth, was murdered in January 2020 and his body was dismembered.

Paul Crosby, from Rathmullen Park in Drogheda was one of the main targets of Operation Stratus, a police operation targeting an ongoing criminal gang feud.

He has been remanded in custody for sentencing in January.

Keane Mulready-Woods' murder is believed to be related to an ongoing feud between two criminal gangs

Keane Mulready-Woods' disappearance was reported by his mother on 13 January 2020.

He was on bail and subject to a curfew when he went missing.

Gardaí (Irish police) believe the murder was related to the ongoing feud between two Drogheda criminal gangs, which has now cost four lives.

Some of Keane's remains were discovered in a sports bag in Coolock in north Dublin the following day.

Two days later more remains were discovered in a stolen car found ablaze in Dublin's north inner city.

Further remains were found at a location in Rathmullen Park.

His cause of death is unknown.

The teenager's dismembered remains were discovered at three separate locations in January 2020.

Crosby and co-accused Gerard Cruise, 47, were charged with the teenager's murder and appeared before the Special Criminal Court on Monday.

Crosby pleaded guilty to the charge that between 11 and 13 January 2020, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, he facilitated the murder of Keane.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt remanded Crosby in custody for sentencing, which is scheduled for 23 January.

Mr Cruise was remanded in custody until 13 January.

Following Crosby's plea, Mr Cruise's defence counsel, Bernard Condon, told the court his client would be "doing likewise" next month.