LAST UPDATE | 16 Jan 2020
THE MAYOR OF Drogheda has said he will hold a rally in the town to allow people articulate how they feel about the ongoing feud and the killing of 17-year-old Keane Mulready-Woods.
Investigations are continuing into the killing and dismemberment of the teenager which is believed to be connected to the feud.
Keane’s remains were first discovered in the Moatview area of Coolock in Dublin on Monday night, when gardaí found what appeared to be human limbs and parts of a torso in a hold-all bag.
His head was subsequently discovered in a burnt-out car at Trinity Terrace, near Croke Park, in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Gardaí are continuing to carry out forensic tests on a home in Rathmullen Park in Drogheda, which they believe might have been used to house the teenage victim.
Speaking on LMFM this afternoon, Drogheda Mayor Paul Bell said the community is in “despair” after the killing and that he wants people to come together.
“I understand the fears of the community and what they are facing because this is not just the word of a public representative but someone living in these communities. There’s a sense of despair, I think there is a place now that people want to articulate how they feel,” Bell said.
As Mayor of Drogheda, on Saturday week I will be organising a gathering on West Street in Drogheda, working across party and non-party, all the different organisations within our town to make sure that our gathering, a protest, a rally, whatever we call it will be a success. And we’ll send the message from Drogheda of what we expect.
“More details will be released in the coming hours about what is to take place, and I want to make clear, this is not a political venture, the mayor’s office is not a political position. As first citizen I’m obliged to listen to the citizens and try to articulate what they feel about this issue and also the ongoing issues over the last few years.”
Bell also said that “a threshold has been crossed” and that politicians have “let us down” by not giving gardaí the appropriate legislation to work with.
“At the end of the day, the legislation that we’re asking An Garda Síochána to defend us with, that we’re asking our communities to come together to protect themselves is not there,” he said.
Taoiseach
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar earlier described the murder of the 17-year-old whose body parts were found in separate locations in Dublin as “gruesome”, “grotesque” and “macabre”.
Speaking about the killing this morning, Varadkar called the incident “probably the most gruesome, grotesque murder” that he could think of.
“I think everyone’s really shocked by it; it’s really gruesome and the victim of a crime was a 17-year-old boy…” he said.
“To have it perpetrated against a 17-year-old is just particularly shocking to me.”
Varadkar also said that gardaí would have all the resources that they need to find the people who carried out the killing crime and to make sure that they are brought to justice.
Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan said he would work with local representatives to ensure that there is a strong criminal justice response to the crime, and that a decision to deploy an increased number of gardaí to the Drogheda area would remain under review.
“I’ve spoken to the Garda Commissioner this morning and a full garda investigation is underway,” he told Today With Sean O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio 1.
“And I’m satisfied that progess is being made and that those responsible will be brought to justice.”
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has also visited Drogheda and Coolock garda stations and assured the investigation teams they would have the full support of force.
A family liaison officer also remains in close contact with Keane’s family.
Detectives are probing the theory that the teenager got too deeply involved in the ongoing feud in Drogheda and carried out attacks on the homes of gang rivals.
The teenage victim had recently carried out attacks on the home of a relative close to a gang boss, making him an obvious target for the attack, detectives believe.
Gardaí also believe there is “no coincidence” that parts of the teenager’s body were dumped in Coolock and in the north-east inner city of Dublin.
Both areas are affiliated with the rival Drogheda gang, and gardaí believe that the dumping of body parts in these locations was done to “send a message”.
Gardaí have made a number of appeals to the public to help them with their investigation.
They are seeking information from anyone who has knowledge of Keane’s movements from when he was last seen in the vicinity of Dominic’s Bridge, Drogheda at approximately 6pm on Sunday 12 January.
They are also seeking dashcam footage from anyone who may have been in the Moatview Drive area of Dublin 17 on Monday 13 January between 9pm and 10pm.
Investigators are further interested in the movements of a blue Volvo S40 which had false registration plates 141 MO 1925, which was abandoned and set on fire in the Trinity Terrace area of Dublin 3 on the morning of Wednesday 15 January at around 1.30am.
They are also interested in the whereabouts of a blue Volvo S40, with registration 161 D 48646, which was stolen from Sandymount in Dublin on 15 December 2019.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Drogheda Garda Station on 041 9874200, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111, Crime Stoppers 1800 250 025 or any garda station.
With reporting from Garreth MacNamee and Rónán Duffy
In July 2018, a feud began between two gangs in Drogheda which has resulted in several shootings and deaths. Despite an increase in Garda resources, the violence has continued. This episode of The Explainer examines this issue:
The Explainer / SoundCloud
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