A man who was acquitted of attempted murder has assault charge dropped

A man who was cleared of threatening to murder his ex-girlfriend's partner, has had a charge of assaulting his ex and causing her harm dropped at the Central Criminal Court.

Father of three Robert Lawlor was acquitted last week of five charges, including attempted murder, following a trial in which his ex-girlfriend Rachel Kirwan resiled from a statement she gave to gardaí. In the statement she said Mr Lawlor had threatened to kill her new partner Derek Mitchell and his mother Fiona Mitchell.

In May 2018 a gunman entered Ms Mitchell’s garden and fired four times, killing her dog Chopper and smashing a window and a patio door and leaving a bullet hole in her front door.

Ms Mitchell described fleeing through front door as the gunshots were fired. She told the jury that she saw Mr Lawlor through her patio window in her back garden holding a gun moments before the shots were fired.

Mr Lawlor denied any involvement in the shooting and his defence questioned the reliability of Ms Mitchell’s evidence. He was found not guilty of all charges against him by unanimous jury verdicts.

In the Central Criminal Court on Monday, Mr Justice Michael White struck out the only remaining charge against Mr Lawlor, that of assault causing harm to Rachel Kirwan on an unknown date between December 2nd and December 3rd, 2014 at Grangemore Crescent, Donaghmede, Dublin 13.

Mr Justice White told Mr Lawlor that he was entering a “nolle prosequi” and added: “You are fully discharged and are no longer in custody on any matter and are free to go.”

Mr Lawlor left through the front doors of the Criminal Courts of Justice building.

Robert Lawlor of the Rise, Laytown, Co Meath was found not guilty of the attempted murder of Fiona Mitchell at Moatview Avenue, Priorswood, Dublin on May 26th, 2018. He was also found not guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life at Moatview Avenue, Priorswood, Dublin on the same date.

The jury returned the same verdict of not guilty in relation to an alleged threat to Rachel Kirwan at Donaghmede, Dublin on a date unknown between January 1st and 31st 2018 to kill or cause serious harm to Fiona Mitchell and her son Derek Mitchell. He was also found not guilty of shooting Ms Mitchell’s dog Chopper endangering its health and welfare at Moatview Avenue, Priorswood on May 26th, 2018.