Gardaí step in as mob gathers at home of murder suspect
A SUSPECT in the gruesome murder of a teenager last year “could have been seriously harmed or even worse” had gardaí not intervened in a tense situation in Drogheda, Co Louth, senior sources say.
A crowd of around 40, including some friends of the murdered 17-year-old, gathered outside a house at around 8pm on Wednesday and senior sources said there were fears the property was going to be burned down and its occupants attacked.
Some protesters shouted abuse at the murder suspect and also at gardaí who moved to disperse the crowd.
A large number of unarmed gardaí responded and the murder suspect, along with a number of his innocent relatives, were brought to the local Garda station.
“They were taken to safety and he was given detailed security advice, which included advice that he stay out of Drogheda,” a senior source said.
“He is supposed to be staying at an address in Dublin and there is no doubt that this would be a far safer option for him, but he was in Drogheda visiting close family members.
“The belief is that he could have been seriously harmed or even worse had gardaí not responded to the situation, which went on for a few minutes and was escalating.
The tense scenes at the home were filmed by people and then shared on social media.
The suspect’s home was previously badly damaged in a petrol-bomb attack when he was arrested last month by officers probing the shocking murder.
Yesterday it emerged that gardaí expect to make a number of new arrests in the coming months – including suspects who are currently serving jail sentences – in relation to the murder of the teenager, whose dismembered body parts were found in two locations in Dublin on this week last year.
Two men have already been charged in connection with the murder of the 17-yearold, who currently cannot be named for legal reasons.
“There will be more arrests in this investigation. This remains a massive investigation and more charges are expected,” a senior source told the Irish Independent.
The chief suspect in the case was notorious north Dublin gangster Robbie Lawlor, who was shot dead last April in Belfast.
Meanwhile, senior sources say that gardaí continue to closely monitor the activities of criminals involved in the deadly Drogheda feud that has claimed four lives, with officers having major success against the feuding mobs over the past year.