Convicted killer surrendered to Netherlands over stabbing, dismemberment of man

A convicted killer has been formally surrendered to Dutch authorities for his part in the stabbing and dismemberment of a man whose remains were found in a canal over ten years ago.

At the High Court on Friday, Barry McArdle (34) who hails from Drimnagh in Dublin but who had been living in Galway, was surrendered to the Netherlands for the stabbing and dismemberment of Keith Ennis (29) after a postponement order was lifted.

Ms Leanora Frawley BL, for McArdle, said that her client was no longer asking for a postponement on the surrender, which had been granted for medical reasons.

At a previous hearing in November, Ms Frawley had said that her client had a “one-off” opportunity in Ireland for a surgical procedure to remove a colostomy bag and sought a postponement on the surrender and one day’s bail for McArdle to get a consultation with a doctor.

Mr Justice Paul Burns had asked for medical evidence to be supplied to support any granting of bail and granted a postponement order.

Ms Frawley had said that McArdle had an appointment for the surgery in Ireland but would need a consultation before undergoing the procedure and had asked for bail on that day, which had not been fixed.

The court previously heard that McArdle had a section of his bowel removed, had a colostomy bag fitted and that he could not lift anything heavier than a kettle.

Keith Ennis suffered a fatal upper-body stab wound in Rotterdam in 2009 before his body was disposed of in a watercourse between Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

Dutch authorities successfully appealed McArdle’s previous acquittal on a charge of manslaughter and he was sentenced to 12 years and three months imprisonment in his absence by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal on May 17th, 2018.

McArdle had originally been convicted in the Netherlands in 2017 for his part in dismembering the body of Mr Ennis but had already served the two years imposed on him by the time of his conviction.

He was found not guilty of the stabbing of Mr Ennis and was released by Dutch authorities in May 2017, when he immediately moved back to Ireland.

The public prosecutor in the Netherlands successfully appealed the not-guilty verdict and in 2020, after a Supreme Court ruling upheld that decision, McArdle was found guilty of the stabbing and sentenced to 13 years.

Ms Caroline Cummings SC, for the Minister for Justice, told Mr Justice Burns at McArdle's extradition hearing that a warrant had been issued in the Netherlands for McArdle on April 22 of this year.

The warrant was endorsed by the High Court in Ireland on June 6th and McArdle was arrested in Galway on July 1st on foot of a European Arrest Warrant.

The balance of McArdle’s sentence left to serve was 4,514 days, the High Court heard. In November, the court heard that McArdle was consenting to his surrender but was seeking the postponement.

A previous sitting of the court, Ms Cummings said that McArdle was found guilty of “murder/manslaughter and of removing or disposing Mr Ennis’ body in order to conceal the cause of death”.

Detective Garda Eoin Kane, of the Garda Extradition Unit, said at that hearing that McArdle was a flight risk and that he has 19 previous convictions, including possession of €1 million-worth of diamorphine for the purpose of sale or supply.