Gerard Cruise jailed for facilitating Keane Mulready-Woods murder

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Gerard Cruise was sentenced at the Special Criminal Court on 10 February 2023 to seven-and-a-half years in prison, with the final six months suspended for two years, for facilitating the murder of Keane Mulready-Woods. Mr Justice Tony Hunt presided.

Cruise pleaded guilty to participating in activities, knowing of the existence of a criminal organisation, with intent to facilitate the murder at Rathmullan Park, Drogheda, between 11 and 13 January 2020. He had originally been charged with the teenager’s murder. The proceedings were reported on 13 January 2023.

The court set Cruise’s headline sentence at 10 years before reducing it after considering mitigation. The judge found that Cruise was at a lower level than co-accused Paul Crosby, noting that Cruise had made admissions to gardaí and had fewer previous convictions.

Crosby pleaded guilty to the same facilitation charge. He received 10 years and six months, with the final six months suspended for two years on condition that he be of good behaviour for two years after his release. Both sentences were backdated to account for time already served.

Crosby had previously been acquitted of attempted murder following a trial in February 2019.