A 41-year-old man appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court on Friday charged with the murder of Robbie Lawlor, who was shot dead in north Belfast in April 2020.

Paul Drew, whose address was given as Whitebrook Park, Tallaght, Dublin, is also charged with possession of a firearm or ammunition with intent to endanger life or cause serious damage to property. He was arrested in Liverpool on Wednesday and brought to Northern Ireland for questioning.

Lawlor, 36 and from Dublin, was shot multiple times outside a house on Etna Drive in the Ardoyne area on 4 April 2020. At the time, he was a suspect in the abduction and murder of Drogheda teenager Keane Mulready-Woods in January 2020.

During the hearing, a detective constable from the PSNI's Serious Crime Team said she could connect Drew to both alleged offences. The court heard that evidence in relation to the murder charge includes data obtained from the EncroChat network, along with correlation of CCTV and other telecom inquiries.

A defence lawyer questioned the officer about the evidence, and it was confirmed that a further file has been submitted to prosecutors in the Republic of Ireland. According to Drew's solicitor, up to a dozen other suspects have been interviewed but not yet charged based on the same data.

No application for bail was made during the brief hearing. District Judge Steven Keown remanded Drew in custody until 28 September, when he is expected to apply for bail. The judge granted legal aid after hearing that Drew is self-employed.

Two other men have previously been charged with Lawlor's murder as part of an alleged joint plot to kill the gangland figure.