Portrait of Keane sparks outrage

A PAINTING depicting a Limerick criminal as a saint has sparked anger among friends of a youth he was accused of murdering.

It is based on an infamous photograph of crime figure Liam Keane outside the Central Criminal Court.

Liam Keane caused outrage when he made the two-fingered gesture to photographers outside the court in Dublin in 2003 after a charge of murdering supermarket worker Eric Leamy collapsed. Six state witnesses went back on their statements amid allegations of witness intimidation.