A Cashel, Co. Tipperary man is expected to go on trial before three presiding Judges; namely Ms Justice Caroline Biggs, Judge Ms Sarah Berkeley and Judge Ms Grainne Malone, at the Special Criminal Court, Dublin tomorrow, after he pleaded not guilty yesterday, to assisting a known criminal gang murder Mr Christopher (aka Noel) Kirwan, an innocent man, who had no known involvement in any criminality.
Mr Kirwan, aged 62 years, was, sadly, shot six times resulting in his death, as he sat in his motor vehicle, at St. Ronan’s Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, just 3 days before Christmas, on December 22nd, 2016.
At the court on Monday, Mr Michael Crotty, aged 41 years, with an address at Slí Aonghusa, Aras na Rí, Cashel, Co. Tipperary, pleaded not guilty to facilitating the criminal organisation, who are believed to have been involved in the murder of Mr Kirwan.
Mr Crotty is accused that between October 20th, 2016 and December 22nd, 2016, within the State and with the knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, did participate in, or contribute by activity, or by being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could facilitate the commission by a criminal organisation or any of its members of a serious offence, to wit: the murder of Christopher (aka Noel) Kirwan, contrary to Section 72 of the Criminal justice Act.
The trial, which is scheduled to last up to five weeks, is to begin at the Special Criminal Court tomorrow, Wednesday January 17th.
On Friday last, at the Special Criminal Court, a co-accused and senior Kinahan cartel member, Mr Declan Brady (aka ‘Mr Nobody) had already pleaded guilty to the same charge.
Mr Brady, with an address at St. Wolstan’s Abbey, Celbridge, Co Kildare, who currently remains in custody for other offences, pleaded guilty to the single charge against him and will now also appear before the court tomorrow, when a date will be set for his sentencing.
Previously, Mr Brady had pleaded guilty, back in July 2019, to supervising an arsenal which included an assault rifle and thousands of rounds of ammunition, located stashed in a Dublin business park. Following this offence he had already been sentenced to 10.5 years in prison. In 2021, the same Mr Brady had further pleaded guilty to laundering hundreds of thousands of Euros in cash; earned through proceeds of crime in 2017.
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