Man admits helping to dispose of murdered teenager Keane Mulready-Wood’s body parts

Sentencing has been adjourned to January 26

Keane Mulready-Woods was last seen alive in Drogheda on January 12, 2020. File photo: Garda/PA

A 32-year-old man has pleaded guilty to assisting in the movement and disposal of the body parts of murdered teenager Keane Mulready Woods, whose dismembered remains were discovered in Dublin almost six years ago.

Glen Bride, aged 32, of Mount Olive Park, Kilbarrick, Dublin 5, was arraigned before the non-jury Special Criminal Court on Monday, where he replied “guilty” to a charge that on January 15, 2020, within the State, knowing or believing another person to be guilty of the murder of Keane Mulready Woods, without reasonable excuse, he participated in or contributed to the transportation and disposal of body parts of the teenager intending by such activity to impede the apprehension or prosecution of that other person.

John Byrne SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, asked the court to set a date in January for sentencing, which he said was likely to take an hour and a half. Ms Justice Karen O’Connor adjourned the matter to January 26.

Keane Mulready-Woods was last seen alive in Drogheda on January 12, 2020. The following day some of the teenager's body parts were found in a sports bag in the Moatview area of Coolock in Dublin. Two days later, remains were found in a burning car in a laneway in the Drumcondra area.

His torso was discovered on March 11, 2020, hidden in an overgrown ravine during a search of wasteground at Rathmullan Park in Drogheda, near where the teenager is believed to have been murdered.

In February 2023, the Special Criminal Court jailed Drogheda criminal Paul Crosby for 10 years for facilitating the "disgraceful and inhuman" murder of the teenager.

Crosby's co-accused Gerard Cruise was considered by the court to be at a lower level and received a sentence of seven-and-a-half years with the final six months suspended for two years.

Cruise, aged 51, with addresses in Drogheda and Lower Sherrard St, Dublin 1, had pleaded guilty to a charge that, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, he facilitated the murder of Keane Mulready-Woods at Rathmullan Park, Drogheda, Co Louth, between the dates of January 11 and 13, 2020, contrary to Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006.

Crosby, aged 29, last of Rathmullan Park, Drogheda, Co Louth pleaded guilty to the same charge.

The court had previously heard that the chief suspect for the murder was Robert Lawlor, a "notorious" criminal who was linked to several murders. Lawlor was shot dead in Belfast in April 2020. At the time of Keane Mulready-Woods' murder, Lawlor was "heavily involved in a feud between rival criminal gangs in Drogheda".

Keane went missing on the late afternoon of January 12, 2020. On January 14, gardaí with a search warrant went to the home of Gerard 'Ged' McKenna, aged 55, in Rathmullan Park in Drogheda, which was confirmed as the site of Keane's murder by DNA and blood spatter evidence. 

McKenna was jailed for four years after pleading guilty to assisting in the clean-up of the crime scene following the murder.

The DPP today entered a nolle prosequi (a decision not to proceed) in relation to two further charges on the indictment against Bride; participating in or contributing to the transportation and disposal of the teenager's body parts for the purpose of enhancing the ability of a criminal organisation to commit murder and setting fire to a Volvo V40 motor car for the benefit of a criminal organisation.