Dublin, Ireland – A man serving a 16 and a half year sentence for previous criminal activities has admitted to obstructing the capture of the person responsible for the murder of gangland figure Mark ‘Guinea Pig’ Desmond in Lucan eight years ago. Charles McClean, 35, confessed to impeding the apprehension of the perpetrator at Griffeen Valley Park in 2016, a charge separate from his existing prison term.
McClean had previously been sentenced to two consecutive terms totaling 16.5 years for his involvement in a criminal organization and for conspiring to murder gangland figure Wayne Whelan, who was eventually killed in a separate attack in November 2019. Additionally, McClean was originally charged with the murder of Mark Desmond, who had connections to dissident republicans and the drug trade in west Dublin.
During his arraignment before the Central Criminal Court, McClean pleaded guilty to obstructing the apprehension or prosecution of the individual responsible for Desmond’s murder on December 2, 2016. McClean’s guilty plea has prompted a sentence hearing to be scheduled for February 6, along with the preparation of a victim impact report to be submitted to the court.
This isn’t the first time McClean has been involved in such criminal activities. In April, he had been sentenced to eight-and-a-half years for facilitating a criminal organization in the fatal shooting of Thomas McCarthy, who had no criminal connections. The myriad of charges and guilty pleas reflect a history of escalating criminal behavior, and the upcoming sentence hearing indicates that McClean’s legal troubles are far from over.