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A 41-year-old man has appeared before Belfast Magistrates’ Court charged with the murder of Robbie Lawlor in Ardoyne in April 2020. Paul Drew was arrested in Liverpool following a long-running investigation involving EncroChat data and CCTV inquiries. He has been remanded in custody ahead of a scheduled bail hearing.
2026/09/25
A 41-year-old man has appeared before Belfast Magistrates’ Court charged in connection with the fatal shooting of gangland figure Robbie Lawlor in north Belfast.
Paul Drew, of Whitebrook Park in Tallaght, Dublin, was arrested in Liverpool on Wednesday as part of the ongoing investigation. He faces charges of murder and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life relating to the daylight shooting on Etna Drive in Ardoyne on April 4, 2020.
Lawlor, 36, was gunned down outside a property in the area amid an escalating feud between rival criminal factions in the Republic of Ireland. He had previously been a suspect in the January 2020 abduction and murder of Drogheda teenager Keane Mulready-Woods and is believed to have travelled north due to threats against his life.
During the brief court hearing, a detective constable from the PSNI’s Serious Crime Team affirmed that she could connect Drew to both charges. Under questioning from the defence, the officer confirmed that the case against Drew involves data retrieved from the encrypted EncroChat communications platform, alongside correlated CCTV footage and telecommunications evidence. The detective also noted that a decision is still awaited regarding an investigation file submitted to prosecutors in the Republic of Ireland.
Two other men have already been charged in relation to the alleged joint plan to carry out the murder in Ardoyne.
No application for bail was made during the appearance. District Judge Steven Keown remanded Drew in custody until September 28, when a formal bail application is expected to be mounted.