INSIDE GAINE SUSPECT'S HIDEAWAY IN WOODS

US native lived here 'for one year' before being taken in by 'kind' Michael

- BY PAUL HEALY and MICHAEL O'TOOLE

THIS is the bizarre secret camp of murder suspect Michael Kelley where he lived before victim Mike Gaine took him in.

This paper tracked down the mysterious woodland hideout of the 54-year-old US native, just outside a 1,000-acre farm owned by Mr Gaine, 56, in the scenic Moll's Gap area of Co Kerry.

We discovered the sophisticated campsite, nestled deep in a dark forest outside of Kenmare, where we are told self-confessed "illegal immigrant" Kelley lived for over a year before the tragic farmer took him in.

The discovery came as we filmed our new Shattered Lives podcast documentary Who Killed Michael Gaine?, the second part of which will be released on YouTube today.

In our documentary, locals told us how hermit Kelley, who says he fled the US and sought asylum here, enjoyed living off the land - hunting and cooking from a self-made fire pit next to his well-made tent.

When at the site we observed several tins of sardines and a number of sea shells littered around the campsite with a stove and other cooking utensils still there several years after Kelley left it.

The site provides an insight into the life of the suspect, who locals told us was in the area for several years, canvassing various farms for any kind of work in exchange for cash in hand.

We also learned of the friendship between Kelley and Mr Gaine, with locals telling us it was well-known they went hunting together even as recently as the day before the murder is believed to have occurred, on March 20 this year.