Overview
- McGovern, who pleaded guilty on March 16, 2026, faced a Special Criminal Court hearing Monday that set out how he directed a 2016 murder plot and a 2017 attempt.
- Investigators described GPS trackers on James Gately’s car and on vehicles used by his partner and sister, and linked the plot to an Estonian hitman arrested in April 2017 with an encrypted phone and Gately’s details.
- Encrypted BlackBerry messages showed McGovern used the handle “Knife,” discussed targets with senior Kinahan figures, and vowed “on my baby’s life” to keep going.
- Evidence on Noel Kirwan’s killing tied McGovern to a burner phone and to a tracker under Kirwan’s car, including a fingerprint on the device instructions and a charger adapter.
- Kirwan’s daughter told the court the shooting wrecked their family’s Christmas, as judges consider a sentence that can include life in prison.