Four years for man who cleaned up Mulready-Woods murder house

A 52-year-old Drogheda man has been sentenced to four years in prison by the Central Criminal Court for his role in cleaning and removing evidence from the property where 17-year-old Keane Mulready-Woods was murdered in January 2020. Gerard McKenna, of Rathmullen Park, pleaded guilty in November 2021 to obstructing the apprehension or prosecution of persons guilty of the murder, contrary to the Criminal Law Act 1997. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed a headline sentence of seven years before applying mitigation, reducing it to five years and three months with the final fifteen months suspended. The sentence was backdated to May 2020. The court heard that McKenna cleaned, painted, and redecorated his home following the teenager's death, in an attempt to remove evidence of the crime. Forensic investigators recovered multiple blood-stained items from the scene and a nearby burn site, including a ballistic vest, an axe, rubber gloves, and part of a sofa, all bearing the victim's DNA. Despite McKenna's cleaning efforts, extensive bloodstaining remained throughout the property, enabling forensic recovery of crucial evidence. The defence submitted that McKenna had surrendered his house under duress from an organised criminal group and had no prior knowledge of the murder itself. The judge acknowledged McKenna was not present during the killing and was not involved in the actual crime. In sentencing, Mr Justice McDermott recognised the seriousness of tampering with material evidence while taking account of McKenna's guilty plea, expressions of remorse, and personal circumstances as mitigating factors. The defendant, a father of eight, was noted to have acted under threat from a dangerous criminal figure. The Mulready-Woods case has resulted in multiple convictions of individuals involved in different aspects of the crime and its aftermath, with investigations linked to a criminal gang feud in Drogheda.