Man arrested in Liverpool is charged with 2020 Belfast murder of Robbie Lawlor

Arrest and charges in Liverpool

Merseyside Police detained a 41-year-old Irish man in Liverpool on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, acting in coordination with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Following his arrest in England, officers transferred the suspect across the Irish Sea for questioning regarding the 2020 killing of Dublin criminal Robbie Lawlor. On Thursday, 24 September, detectives formally charged the man with murder as well as possession of a firearm or ammunition with intent to endanger life or cause serious damage to property. The accused is scheduled to make an appearance at Belfast Magistrates Court on Friday, 25 September. Law enforcement records show the individual has served multiple prison sentences in the Republic of Ireland, with past convictions linked to a west Dublin drug gang and organised, high-value thefts.

A spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed the formal charges brought against the suspect.

“The 41-year-old, who was arrested in Liverpool on Wednesday, 23rd September has been charged with murder, and possession of a firearm or ammunition with intent to endanger life or cause serious damage to property.”

The 2020 Ardoyne shooting

Lawlor, a 36-year-old Dublin native, was shot multiple times outside a house on Etna Drive in the Ardoyne district of north Belfast on 4 April 2020. Police inquiries established that Lawlor had travelled from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland because he feared an attack during an escalating gangland conflict. On the day of his death, Lawlor arrived at the Belfast address under the impression that he was collecting an unpaid drug debt. A gunman waiting at the premises opened fire in the front garden in a pre-planned ambush. Investigators believe the perpetrators travelled across the Irish border to carry out the attack under orders from a Dublin gangland figure.

Feud motives and prior convictions

Inquiries conducted by gardai and the Police Service of Northern Ireland revealed that the Belfast assassination was organised by individuals who stood to benefit financially from Lawlor's death. Lawlor and his associates were owed substantial sums for drug consignments, debts that were effectively extinguished once he was killed. The charges in Liverpool follow earlier court proceedings in Northern Ireland, where five other men were convicted and imprisoned for their participation in the killing. Among those previously jailed was Stephen Carberry, who was Lawlor's brother-in-law.

Origins of the Drogheda feud

Lawlor was identified by gardai as one of the most violent criminals involved in the Drogheda feud, an armed struggle between two rival drug distribution factions operating across Dublin, Sligo, and County Louth. Originally from northside Dublin, Lawlor later lived in Laytown, County Meath, operating alongside his brother-in-law Richard Carberry. While Carberry managed operations, Lawlor functioned as an enforcer and was linked by authorities to multiple violent deaths. In November 2019, 39-year-old Richard Carberry was shot dead outside his family home in Bettystown, County Meath, while Lawlor was in prison awaiting trial for a shooting. In January 2020, 17-year-old Keane Mulready-Woods disappeared from Drogheda before being murdered and dismembered, with body parts deposited in County Louth and Dublin. Gardai viewed Lawlor as the primary suspect in the teenager's killing prior to Lawlor's fatal shooting three months later.