The PSNI allege that Barry Young was ‘instrumental in the planning and preparation stages of the murder of Robbie Lawlor,’ and that he procured an associate to facilitate the murder after attempts to kill him in the Republic and in Spain ‘had been unsuccessful’.
Barry Young(Image: social media collect)
Notorious Sligo crime boss Barry Young was “instrumental” in the planning of the murder of violent gangster Robbie Lawlor, the PSNI allege.
Young (41), of Geldof Drive, Cranmore, Co Sligo, was taken from his cell in Portlaoise Prison in Co Laois to the High Court in Dublin on Monday, having been arrested on the foot of a warrant from Northern Ireland.
The gangster, who was previously described in court as one of the most “significant” drug dealers in the west and northwest of Ireland, is wanted by the PSNI over the murder of Lawlor.
Volatile Dublin criminal Lawlor (36), who gardai believe murdered and dismembered young teen Keane Mulready Woods, was gunned down in the front garden of a house at Ethna Drive in Belfast on April 4, 2020.
Young, who is currently serving an 11 year prison sentence here for directing a criminal organisation, also faces charge of having a 9mm self-loading pistol in his possession with intent to endanger life between April 2nd and 5th that year.
He is being sought alongside Jonathan Gill (44), who is fighting his extradition to the North over the same murder.
Now the Irish Mirror can reveal the allegations the PSNI are making about Young – who is named in a document which was opened in the High Court during Gill’s extradition hearing.
Barry Young(Image: social media collect)
In it the PSNI allege that Young was “instrumental in the planning and preparation stages of the murder of Lawlor,” and that he procured an associate to facilitate the murder after attempts to kill him in the Republic and in Spain “had been unsuccessful.”
The PSNI allege that a number of phone numbers linked to Young were “regularly in contact with Gill,” and other named alleged conspirators during the relevant time frame.
Young owed money to the slain gangster Richie Carberry – a brother in law of Lawlor’s who was murdered in 2019, the PSNI claim.
He was aware that Lawlor would now be seeking the money owed in the wake of Carberry’s death, they say – and that amid this it is believed that “both Gill and Young stood to gain financially by the murder of Lawlor.”
Another named alleged conspirator may have owed a “substantial debt” to Gill, they further claim, who agreed then with Young that if he assisted with the plan to murder Lawlor, that the debt would be cancelled.
They said that Young and the named conspirator then met at the Sligo Park Hotel on March 16th 2020 “when it is believed that this arrangement was discussed.”
Subsequently, on April 3rd 2020, the day before the murder, the conspirator met with Lawlor, and an associate of his, at a car park in Crumlin outside Belfast, “to pay monies owed to Lawlor.”
“It was arranged between the parties that Lawlor would call the following day at the home of Holland at 61 Etna Drive to collect a further sum of money and a Mercedes vehicle belonging to (conspirator), as part payment of money allegedly owed,” the PSNI claim.
Robbie Lawlor(Image: Handout)
The PSNI document says that on the following day when lawlor arrived and approached the garden at Ethna Drive, “witnesses state that an unknown person wearing dark clothing and some sort of scarf to disguise their face exited the front door with a firearm. Lawlor was shot several times at close range and died at the scene.”
The PSNI also outlined in the document opened during Mr Gill’s case, Encrochat conversations between handles they attributed to Gill and Young.
They say Gill, using the handle ‘steadybuster’ contacted ‘rathu,’ who they say is Young, on April 2nd 2020.
In that conversation Gill is alleged to have told Young: “OK pal listen anywhere except that city is great ..My mate will do it but I don’t think he’ll make it out with the way the cops have it up there (sic).”
“We went up his way last night into the city as well its a suicide mission tbh. my pal says he will do it. but I think he’s gona get caught with all the cops shops an the psni have designed to shut the place down (sic).”
The alleged conversation continues with ‘steadybuster’ speaking about Dundalk as a possible location and how his pal can “run over an pop him coming out (sic).”
The PSNI also say that Barry Young was “initially treated as a witness in the investigation” and was spoken to by gardai on April 21, 2020.
“It has since been established that vehicle, CCTV, telecommunication and Encrochat data demonstrates that Young was instrumental in the planning and preparation stages of the murder of Lawlor and that he procured his associate to facilitate the murder of Lawlor in Northern Ireland as attempts to murder Lawlor in Ireland and Spain had been unsuccessful,” the PSNI said.
“From 31 March 2020 onwards, Encrochat conversations between Gill (using the handle steadybuster) and Young (using the handle rathu) describe in detail the planning and preparation undertaken in order to successfully murder Lawlor in Northern Ireland,” they added.
Jonathan Gill (Image: Collins Photo Agency Dublin)
“This contact continues after the murder, when both parties are in contact with each other to confirm that the murder has been carried out, their accomplice is alive, and that the clean-up operation has gone to plan.
“Their messages also appear to congratulate each other on their successful ‘completion’ of the murder.”
The PSNI say they can attribute numbers to Young which they say coincide with the handle ‘rathu’ – and cite how he provided one of these numbers to gardai himself during their contact with him as part of the investigation.
Attribution for a further mobile phone number believed to be used by Young is also reliant on the ANPR and CDR for two other alleged conspirators, they said.
Young has also “accepted” via his solicitor in an email that he is the person who is using the handles trimnose and rathu’ from the period 29 March 2020 until 9 April 2020 in respect of the build up to and the aftermath of Lawlor’s murder.
“He accepts that he briefly takes part in one of a number of conspiracies which were ongoing at this time with a view to murdering Lawlor but denies that he is a party to the actual murder,” the PSNI state.
On Monday Detective Sergeant Aoife Cronin of the Garda Extradition Unit told the court that she met Mr Young at 10.45am that morning and showed him the trade and co-operation warrant for his arrest, which had been endorsed by the High Court for execution.
Det Sgt Cronin said she asked Mr Young if he knew “what this was about”, to which the respondent replied: “No, not really”.
Keith Spencer BL, instructed by solicitor Wayne Kenny, representing Mr Young, said there was no application for bail, and said that Mr Young may wish to deal with the matter “in an expeditious fashion.”
Jonathan Gill
Ms Justice Eileen Creedon remanded Mr Young in custody to appear before the High Court again via video link on July 10.
When Young was jailed for directing a crime gang back in 2023, he was described as being at the top of a criminal organisation who organised the delivery and supply of cannabis, cocaine and prescription drugs along with the associated threats, violence, intimidation and attacks on homes.
The court heard that drug seizures linked to the gang totalled over €628,000, while Young himself had €40,000 in ready cash despite his only stated income being social welfare payments.
Young also dispatched enforcers that he described as “head-the-balls” and “Dirty Harrys” to collect on drug debts.
The court heard how he laundered cash through a car recovery business, and had access to seven bank accounts.
He was arrested on a plane at Dublin Airport on his way to Spain in January 2022 and had been planning to live there permanently, the court heard at the time.
Gardaí carried out seven searches the same day and seized his and other gang members’ phones – recovering over 22,000 messages, videos, whatsapps and texts which revealed how he directed the gang’s drugs and laundering activities.
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Presiding Judge Tony Hunt told the court that Young could have faced 16 years or more had he not pleaded guilty to the charge.
He described Young at the time as a “scourge on the people of Sligo for a number of years” and he noted evidence that a relatively small community in the west of Ireland is “burdened by four such gangs”.
Following the sentence, Chief Supt Aidan Glacken told the media outside court that “Barry Young has been involved in the sale and distribution of controlled drugs for the last 20 years.
“He directed and controlled a very large organised crime gang involved in an illegal business in the northwest of the country and this gang had substantial international links.
“In the pursuit of greed and in the pursuit of money, this organised crime gang has caused much harm, much stress, much destruction to society and families through their reckless nature.
“Many of those families have suffered from violence, threats and intimidation which is unacceptable in today’s society.
“Over the past number of years in Sligo, we have committed very substantial resources to tackle this crime gang and other gangs involved in the drugs business.
“We will continue in this work to dismantle these gangs, including seizing their assets, their cash, whether it be here or abroad.”
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