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Sunday World
12-05-2025
- Sunday World
Ex-soldier convicted of murdering mum-of-one Kirsty Ward ‘violent to three former partners'
Keith Byrne choked previous partner, cops told A twisted ex-soldier convicted of the murder of mum-of-one Kirsty Ward had been violent to three former partners, strangling one of the women to the point where she blacked out – Spanish prosecutors learned in advance of his trial. In his evidence, 34-year-old Keith Byrne, from Duleek, sickeningly claimed the 36-year-old mum-of-one took her own life at their four-star Magnolia Hotel in the popular Costa Daurada resort of Salou. The truth was he strangled Kirsty to death with a hair-straightener power cord on July 2, 2023 after she told him she was leaving him. The liar also described himself to jurors as a 'respectful and intelligent' father-of-three who would never commit an act of domestic violence. However, the Sunday World understands Spanish prosecutors already knew that this was a lie and were armed with evidence from a former girlfriend of Byrne's that he was in fact a serial woman abuser. This woman had previously told of her ordeal at Byrne's hands in an interview with the Sunday World following Kirsty's murder. In the interview, the woman said she was speaking out as she didn't want Byrne to be tried as someone who had been violent as a one-off 'as if it is the first time he has hurt someone'. Murder victim Kirsty Ward The woman, who is aged in her 30s, said she had been in a relationship with Byrne for several years and that she 'went into shock' and had been unable to work after hearing news of Kirsty's murder. 'I felt it could have been me and I am very grateful to the help of my family and friends to get me out of the situation after he attacked me,' she said. Recalling her ordeal at the hands of the murderer, the woman said that after a night out, he threw her onto the floor of a bedroom they were in and then 'grabbed me by the throat put his hands on my throat and he held it until I blacked out'. She said the incident came to an end when other people walked into the room and the woman ended her relationship with him in the following days. 'I thought I was going to die. It all felt very surreal after that, I knew I had to leave him,' she explained. Following Kirsty's murder, the woman said she had informed gardaí in Ashbourne of the attack on her as well as incidents of violence involving Byrne and two other former partners. Gardaí then made this information available to Interpol who informed the Spanish authorities and the Spanish prosecutors probing Kirsty's murder. The Sunday World has also learned that disgraced former soldier Byrne has been abusing alcohol for over a decade. We have established that he was convicted of drink-driving at the Bullring in Drogheda in January of 2013 and disqualified from driving for two years. Byrne was in trouble with gardaí on just one other occasion in this country but on that occasion he was arrested alongside a future Kinahan Cartel soldier who would go on to become a top target for gardaí. The same month he and Caolan Smyth were arrested after they were caught trying to siphon diesel from a car to put in Smyth's petrol car. Both were given the Probation Act on that occasion but Smyth is currently serving a 20-year jail term for the attempted murder of Hutch associate James 'Mago' Gately. Former soldier Keith Byrne was found guilty of murdering mum-of-one Kirsty Ward News in 90 seconds - 12th May 2025 In the wake of these brushes with the law, sources say Byrne spent a lot of time in the UK where he was a soldier with the British Army based with the Irish Guards and Parachute Regimen. Byrne went absent without leave in 2017 and had been sought by the British Army's Royal Military Police ever since. During Byrne's trial in Tarragona, Spanish prosecutor Javier Goimil rubbished Byrne's claims that Kirsty had taken her own life. He said the truth was when Kirsty has told him she was going to leave him he had decided: 'You're mine or you're nobody's' and strangled her to death. He said the 34-year-old had concocting the suicide story after being told he could spend most of the next three decades behind bars. He told the court: 'Byrne has adapted his version of events of what happened in that time-frame nearly two years on in accordance with the evidence he's learnt there is against him. 'He's saying Kirsty tied a cable round her neck and attached it to the door knob but in the state she was in it would have been impossible for her to do that and there's nothing showing there was a knot in the cable. 'What's occurred is a violent and painful death, a strangulation from behind... This was not a suicide.' He added: 'She didn't leave a note for her son or her siblings or her mum and what's more she had bought a plane ticket back to Dublin for July 4. 'Kirsty's relationship with Byrne was very toxic, very intense and very emotional. She decided to end it during the week they stayed at the hotel in Salou and her partner couldn't accept that. 'His mindset at that moment was: 'You're mine or you're nobody's. You, woman, are no-one to say you're going to detach yourself from me the man and have your own independent life. That was why he killed her the way he did.' On Thursday, the jury returned a guilty verdict in the case. The trial judge said he was retiring to consider his sentence. Byrne is not expected to find out for nearly a month how long he will have to serve.
Sunday World
11-05-2025
- Sunday World
Ex-soldier convicted of murdering mum-of-one had been violent to three former partners
Keith Byrne choked previous partner, cops told In his evidence, 34-year-old Keith Byrne, from Duleek, sickeningly claimed the 36-year-old mum-of-one took her own life at their four-star Magnolia Hotel in the popular Costa Daurada resort of Salou. The truth was he strangled Kirsty to death with a hair-straightener power cord on July 2, 2023 after she told him she was leaving him. The liar also described himself to jurors as a 'respectful and intelligent' father-of-three who would never commit an act of domestic violence. However, the Sunday World understands Spanish prosecutors already knew that this was a lie and were armed with evidence from a former girlfriend of Byrne's that he was in fact a serial woman abuser. This woman had previously told of her ordeal at Byrne's hands in an interview with the Sunday World following Kirsty's murder. In the interview, the woman said she was speaking out as she didn't want Byrne to be tried as someone who had been violent as a one-off 'as if it is the first time he has hurt someone'. Murder victim Kirsty Ward The woman, who is aged in her 30s, said she had been in a relationship with Byrne for several years and that she 'went into shock' and had been unable to work after hearing news of Kirsty's murder. 'I felt it could have been me and I am very grateful to the help of my family and friends to get me out of the situation after he attacked me,' she said. Recalling her ordeal at the hands of the murderer, the woman said that after a night out, he threw her onto the floor of a bedroom they were in and then 'grabbed me by the throat put his hands on my throat and he held it until I blacked out'. She said the incident came to an end when other people walked into the room and the woman ended her relationship with him in the following days. 'I thought I was going to die. It all felt very surreal after that, I knew I had to leave him,' she explained. Following Kirsty's murder, the woman said she had informed gardaí in Ashbourne of the attack on her as well as incidents of violence involving Byrne and two other former partners. Gardaí then made this information available to Interpol who informed the Spanish authorities and the Spanish prosecutors probing Kirsty's murder. The Sunday World has also learned that disgraced former soldier Byrne has been abusing alcohol for over a decade. We have established that he was convicted of drink-driving at the Bullring in Drogheda in January of 2013 and disqualified from driving for two years. Byrne was in trouble with gardaí on just one other occasion in this country but on that occasion he was arrested alongside a future Kinahan Cartel soldier who would go on to become a top target for gardaí. The same month he and Caolan Smyth were arrested after they were caught trying to siphon diesel from a car to put in Smyth's petrol car. Both were given the Probation Act on that occasion but Smyth is currently serving a 20-year jail term for the attempted murder of Hutch associate James 'Mago' Gately. Former soldier Keith Byrne was found guilty of murdering mum-of-one Kirsty Ward News in 90 seconds - 12th May 2025 In the wake of these brushes with the law, sources say Byrne spent a lot of time in the UK where he was a soldier with the British Army based with the Irish Guards and Parachute Regimen. Byrne went absent without leave in 2017 and had been sought by the British Army's Royal Military Police ever since. During Byrne's trial in Tarragona, Spanish prosecutor Javier Goimil rubbished Byrne's claims that Kirsty had taken her own life. He said the truth was when Kirsty has told him she was going to leave him he had decided: 'You're mine or you're nobody's' and strangled her to death. He said the 34-year-old had concocting the suicide story after being told he could spend most of the next three decades behind bars. He told the court: 'Byrne has adapted his version of events of what happened in that time-frame nearly two years on in accordance with the evidence he's learnt there is against him. 'He's saying Kirsty tied a cable round her neck and attached it to the door knob but in the state she was in it would have been impossible for her to do that and there's nothing showing there was a knot in the cable. 'What's occurred is a violent and painful death, a strangulation from behind... This was not a suicide.' He added: 'She didn't leave a note for her son or her siblings or her mum and what's more she had bought a plane ticket back to Dublin for July 4. 'Kirsty's relationship with Byrne was very toxic, very intense and very emotional. She decided to end it during the week they stayed at the hotel in Salou and her partner couldn't accept that. 'His mindset at that moment was: 'You're mine or you're nobody's. You, woman, are no-one to say you're going to detach yourself from me the man and have your own independent life. That was why he killed her the way he did.' On Thursday, the jury returned a guilty verdict in the case. The trial judge said he was retiring to consider his sentence. Byrne is not expected to find out for nearly a month how long he will have to serve.
The Irish Sun
08-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Brute's twisted lies after murder of Dublin mum in Spain when she tried to ‘end toxic relationship' & thug's jail future
THE heartbroken family of tragic Kirsty Ward have told how they are continuing to 'come to terms' with her murder at the hands of her evil partner. Former soldier Keith Byrne faces three decades behind bars after he was convicted of killing mum-of-one Kirsty at a hotel in Advertisement 4 Wicked Byrne, 34, strangled Kirsty to death after she told him she was leaving him 4 Kirsty Ward was murdered at a hotel in Spain in July 2023 4 Kristy died at a four-star Magnolia Hotel in the popular Costa Daurada resort of Salou Credit: Solarpix Wicked Byrne, 34, strangled Kirsty to death with a hair straightener power cord after she told him she was leaving him. In a statement, Kirsty's loved ones hailed those who got justice on their behalf. It read: 'Our family wish to thank our private prosecutor Estela Cortes and her team for guiding, supporting and representing Kirsty, her son and our family at this very difficult and painful time; Javier Goimil the public prosecutor for his commitment and passion; the Spanish investigation teams and police for their expertise, empathy and understanding; and the jury for seeing and believing in what was the truth about our beautiful Kirsty. 'Our family now request our privacy to be respected, while we grieve and come to terms with all that has happened during the past two years.' Advertisement Read more in News Twisted In a video recording just weeks after the murder from his 'The temperatures of her body will show she was dead two or three hours before they got there, so that'll all come out. And then the newspapers will have to eat their words.' In the footage, dad-of-three Byrne showed pictures of his family he had with him in his cell, before telling his kids: 'Daddy will be home soon.' Advertisement MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN At the time, he was caged in a low-security unit and told his loved ones that all was going well. He said: 'I'm safe. Going to school, f***ing learning Spanish, going to gym, swimming, playing football. A1. I'm fing A1. 'I'm in a low-security unit. There's no violence here, nothing like that. It's not allowed. You're allowed to get f***d out. 'All the prisoners are under suss. They don't let anyone act the b*****ks cos it f***s them all up. So it's A1. So don't worry about anything like that.' Advertisement But Byrne will not be coming back to his native Ireland anytime soon after a jury found him guilty on Wednesday night following three days of deliberations. He shamelessly claimed during his trial in the eastern Spanish city of Tarragona 36-year-old mum-of-one Kirsty died by suicide at their four-star Magnolia Hotel in the popular Costa Daurada resort of Salou. He described himself as a 'respectful and intelligent' man who would never commit an act of domestic violence. 'TOXIC' Callous Byrne demonised Kirsty as someone who could be 'four people in one day' especially after binging on alcohol and cocaine, which he claimed made their romance 'toxic.' Advertisement Byrne is not expected to find out for nearly a month how much time he will have to serve. A private prosecutor acting for Kirsty's family said she was still seeking the 30-year sentence she argued for before and during the trial. Public prosecutor Javier Goimil urged the judge to jail him for 20 years for his July 2 2023 The killer was led handcuffed from the court after learning he was now a convicted criminal following nearly two years on remand in prison. Advertisement MURDER TRIAL Mr Goimil, a domestic violence specialist, rubbished Byrne's court claim Kirsty took her own life during his closing speech to the jury last Wednesday on the final day of the murder trial. He claimed the former soldier, who had been living in Duleek, Co Meath, decided: 'You're mine or you're nobody's', and strangled his girlfriend to death because she wanted out of their stormy relationship. He said the forensic evidence pointed to Kirsty had been strangled from behind between 8pm and 10pm on July 2 2023 after 'incapacitating herself' with alcohol and cocaine Mr Goimil said Byrne had 'adapted his version of events' against the evidence on him. He added: 'What's occurred here is a violent and painful death, a strangulation from behind where someone is pulling from the front to the back. This was not a suicide.' Advertisement He explained that she did not left a note behind for her son or siblings, and she had bought a plane ticket back to Dublin. 'VERY INTENSE' He said: 'Kirsty's relationship with Byrne was very toxic, very intense and very emotional. 'She decided to end it during the week they stayed at the hotel in Salou and her partner couldn't accept that decision. 'His mindset at that moment was: 'Or you're mine or you're nobody's. You, woman, are no-one to say you're going to detach yourself from me the man and have your own independent life. Advertisement 'That was why he killed her the way he did.' Kirsty's mum Jackie Ward described Byrne as someone she 'didn't like' and 'didn't trust' on day one of the trial in April. She said she had found out after her daughter's death she had planned to leave him during their 'make or break' holiday. She was asked as she gave evidence whether she thought her daughter, whose son Evan was 14 when she died, could have committed suicide but replied angrily: 'She did everything for her son. She would never ever leave him. She would never do that to him.' Advertisement 'ADORED DAUGHTER' Ms Ward described her daughter after her death as a 'fantastic friend' to her parents and 'an absolutely adored daughter.' She told the congregation at the Church of John the Evangelist in Ballinteer, Dublin in July 2023 that she had been an amazing mum to Evan, saying: 'The two of them were an amazingly strong and tight team and I hope to continue the great work she has done. 'To me she was a fantastic friend and an absolutely adored daughter to myself and John. She was a caring sister, a cherished granddaughter and much loved niece and cousin. A loyal and true friend.' An online fundraising appeal Kirsty's family launched before the trial to help fund their legal costs has so far raised more than €32,000. Advertisement It emerged following Byrne's Spanish arrest that he was wanted in England by Royal Military Police for going AWOL after he left for Ireland in 2017. Reports in Ireland last March said Spanish prosecutors intended to interview at least two women about assisting the case by giving background information about him. One of these women previously claimed in an interview that Byrne had tried to strangle her in an incident at a property in a number of years ago. 4 Former soldier Keith Byrne faces three decades behind bars after he was convicted of killing mum-of-one Kirsty Credit: Solarpix Advertisement
Irish Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irishman guilty of strangling girlfriend in Spanish hotel faces 30 years in jail
A former soldier is facing up to three decades behind bars after being convicted of murdering his south Dublin girlfriend at their Spanish holiday hotel. Jurors found Keith Byrne guilty after three days of deliberations of strangling Kirsty Ward to death with a hair straightener power cord after she told him she was leaving him. The 34-year-old Irishman had claimed during his trial in the eastern Spanish city of Tarragona the 36-year-old mum-of-one committed suicide at their four-star Magnolia Hotel in the popular Costa Daurada resort of Salou. He described himself as a 'respectful and intelligent' father-of-three who would never commit an act of domestic violence - and demonised Kirsty as someone who could be 'four people in one day' especially after binging on alcohol and cocaine he claimed made their romance 'toxic'. The trial judge announced he was retiring to consider his sentence after the jury decision late last night - as is normal in Spain - and Byrne is not expected to find out for nearly a month how much time he will have to serve. A private prosecutor acting for Kirsty's family said she was still seeking the 30-year sentence she argued for before and during the trial. Public prosecutor Javier Goimil urged the judge to jail him for 20 years for his July 2 2023 crime, lowering his initial pre-trial demand by a year as he accepted Byrne's drug-addiction as a mitigating circumstance after jurors ruled he had "diminished mental faculties" when he killed Kirsty. The killer was led handcuffed from the court after learning he was now a convicted criminal after nearly two years on remand in prison following his arrest. Mr Goimil, a domestic violence specialist, rubbished Byrne's court claim Kirsty took her own life during his closing speech to the jury last Wednesday on the final day of the murder trial. He claimed the former soldier, who had been living in Duleek, Co Meath, decided: 'You're mine or you're nobody's' and strangled his girlfriend to death because she wanted out of their stormy relationship. He said the forensic evidence pointed to Kirsty had been strangled from behind between 8pm and 10pm on July 2 2023 after 'incapacitating herself' with alcohol and cocaine. He told the court: 'Byrne has adapted his version of events of what happened in that timeframe nearly two years on in accordance with the evidence he's learnt there is against him. He's saying Kirsty tied a cable round her neck and attached it to the door knob but in the state she was in it would have been impossible for her to do that and there's nothing showing there was a knot in the cable. 'What's occurred here is a violent and painful death, a strangulation from behind where someone is pulling from the front to the back. This was not a suicide." He added: 'She didn't leave a note for her son or her siblings or her mum and what's more she had bought a plane ticket back to Dublin for July 4. 'Kirsty's relationship with Byrne was very toxic, very intense and very emotional. She decided to end it during the week they stayed at the hotel in Salou and her partner couldn't accept that decision. His mindset at that moment was: 'Or you're mine or you're nobody's. You, woman, are no-one to say you're going to detach yourself from me the man and have your own independent life. That was why he killed her the way he did.' He also said the amount of alcohol Kirsty had drunk before being killed would have impacted significantly on her ability to defend herself. Kirsty's mum Jackie Ward described Byrne as someone she 'didn't like' and 'didn't trust' on day one of the trial on April 23 and said she had found out after her daughter's death she had planned to leave him during their 'make or break' holiday. She was asked as she gave evidence whether she thought her daughter, whose son Evan was 14 when she died, could have committed suicide but replied angrily: 'She did everything for her son. She would never ever leave him. She would never do that to him.' Jurors started deliberating on Monday after the May 1 Bank Holiday. Byrne's defence lawyer Jordi Cabre had been seeking his client's acquittal before the jury verdict and afterwards asked the judge to hand down the "minimum sentence". Kirsty's family said in a statement after the jury verdict: 'Our family wish to thank our private prosecutor Estela Cortes and her team for guiding, supporting and representing Kirsty, her son and our family at this very difficult and painful time; Javier Goimil the public prosecutor for his commitment and passion; the Spanish investigation teams and police for their expertise, empathy and understanding; and the jury for seeing and believing in what was the truth about our beautiful Kirsty. 'Our family now request our privacy to be respected, while we grieve and come to terms with all that has happened during the past two years.' Jackie Ward described her daughter after her death as a 'fantastic friend' to her parents and 'an absolutely adored daughter.' She told the congregation at the Church of John the Evangelist in Ballinteer, Dublin in July 2023 that she had been an amazing mum to Evan, saying: 'The two of them were an amazingly strong and tight team and I hope to continue the great work she has done. To me she was a fantastic friend and an absolutely adored daughter to myself and John. She was a caring sister, a cherished granddaughter and much loved niece and cousin. A loyal and true friend.' An online fundraising appeal Kirsty's family launched before the trial to help fund their legal costs has so far raised more than €32,000. For more information or to donate, click here. It emerged following Byrne's Spanish arrest that he was wanted in England by Royal Military Police for going AWOL after he left for Ireland in 2017. Reports in Ireland last March said Spanish prosecutors intended to interview at least two of his former partners about assisting the case by giving background information about him. One of these women previously claimed in an interview with the Irish Independent that Byrne had tried to strangle her in an incident at a property in Co Meath a number of years ago.
International Business Times
08-05-2025
- International Business Times
Irish Man Who Killed Girlfriend in Spain, Then Claimed She Died of Suicide, Convicted
Keith Byrne has been convicted of murdering his girlfriend Kirsty Ward at their Spanish holiday hotel in 2023. As reported by RTE, after three days of deliberations, jurors found Byrne guilty of strangling the 36-year-old mother-of-one to death with a hair straightener power cord after she told him she was leaving him. Byrne is now facing three decades in prison. Byrne Claimed Ward Died of Suicide, Accused Her of Being an Alcohol and Cocaine Addict The 34-year-old Irish man had claimed during his trial in the eastern Spanish city of Tarragona that Ward had died by suicide at their four-star Magnolia Hotel in the popular Costa Daurada resort town of Salou. He described himself as a "respectful and intelligent" father-of-three who would never commit an act of domestic violence. He demonised Ms Ward as someone who could be "four people in one day" especially after bingeing on alcohol and cocaine which he claimed made their romance "toxic." Forensic Evidence Indicated Ward was Strangled from Behind Public prosecutor Javier Goimil, a domestic violence specialist, dismissed Byrne's court claim that Ward took her own life during his closing speech to the jury last Wednesday on the final day of the murder trial. He claimed the former soldier decided, "you're mine or you're nobody's" and strangled his girlfriend to death because she wanted out of their relationship. He said the forensic evidence pointed to Ward having been strangled from behind between 8pm and 10pm on 2 July 2023 after "incapacitating herself" with alcohol and cocaine. Goimil told the court: "Byrne has adapted his version of events of what happened in that timeframe nearly two years on in accordance with the evidence he's learnt there is against him." "He's saying Kirsty tied a cable round her neck and attached it to the door knob but in the state she was in it would have been impossible for her to do that and there's nothing showing there was a knot in the cable." "What's occurred here is a violent and painful death, a strangulation from behind where someone is pulling from the front to the back. This was not a suicide." Ward and Byrne's Relationship was 'Very Toxic' Goimil also noted that Ward's relationship with Byrne was "very toxic" and that he couldn't come to terms with the fact that "she decided to end it" during their Spanish holiday. "That was why he killed her the way he did," he added. He also said the amount of alcohol Ms Ward had drunk before being killed would have impacted significantly on her ability to defend herself. Jurors started deliberating on Monday after the 1 May Bank Holiday. Byrne's defence lawyer Jordi Cabre had been seeking his client's acquittal before the jury verdict and afterwards asked the judge to hand down the "minimum sentence".
